Wanderer's Game

I'll admit, I wasn't prepared for this. For Alduin, for Grayfia, for her heartfelt words. I hadn't exactly planned for the situation I now found myself in. Not that I'm complaining. The view here is quite nice, after all.

The soft glow in her eyes, the messy hair, the simple dress she's chosen to sleep in. It all feels so comfortable, so vulnerable. Looking at her now, it astounds me how anyone could ever choose to hurt her.

"Master?" She whispers, her head nestled in the pillow mere inches away from my own, our bodies a short distance apart.

Her gaze is tinged in concern, my silence having gotten to her as I'd stared at her for a long while. Were she not lying down, I imagine she'd tilt her hear to the side slightly.

"Is something the matter?" She asks again. I really should stop thinking so much.

"Apologies, I was lost in thought. Don't worry yourself with me though, you should go to sleep. It's been a long day for us both."

"I understand, Master... thank you for doing this for me."

"There's no need to thank me. I'll do this as many times as you need."

My words seem to satisfy her for the moment, and so she closes her eyes once more with a small smile on her face. With her drifting away, I turn on my back and get back to my thoughts.

We've been in this bed together for only a short few minutes. Going into this, I had expected my mind to be clouded with thoughts of utterly ravaging her, turning her to putty in my hands and enjoying the sweet sounds of her breathy moans like any Devil normally would in this situation.

Right now though, all I feel is an intense urge to pull her close and tell her that everything will be okay, that tomorrow will be better for us all, to whisper words of comfort in her ear until she sleeps soundly in my arms.

I'm glad she accepted the story I'd made about Alduin, that she was taken in by him so quickly. I didn't want to be lying to her already. Murder isn't above my moral code, but telling a fib is no fucking joke.

...I've no idea how I'll convince Serafall of her innocence. I know for a fact she'll tear up the letter, laugh in the face of Gehrman's self sacrifice and claim it to be nothing more than theatrics. And what makes it worse is she's entirely within her right to.

I can't blame her for hesitating to trust Grayfia. Half a decade spent trying to kill one another does horrible things for trust, and Sera's hatred for the Satan's no doubt extends to the Lucifuge.

No doubt I'll need to go alone to speak with her. I can't risk them just up and battling one another on sight, I'll need to fully explain the situation and I can only hope that talking in person will make it a slight bit easier.

Hopefully she won't be too mad at me. I can already hear her words now, 'I send you away for one weekend, and you bring home my arch-nemesis. What the fuck, Ali?'. The thought admittedly makes me chuckle.

There's also quite a bit of work I'll need to do with these files I stole from Euclid's lab. I haven't exactly had a chance to look at them, and I imagine Ajuka will be quite interested in them, but I want a read myself first. Finders keepers and all that.

Still so much work to be done. So many battles to win, friends to make, enemies to kill. It will all be worth it in the future. These days of strife will only make the feeling of relief when my victory comes ever more palpable.

I would like to say that I hope I can have a position among the Satan's come the Civil War's end, but there's no use hoping. I alone decide whether or not I get that seat.

It'll take time. It'll take effort. And it will be hard. But I've already bled enough. What's a few more pints of blood and a couple of lost limbs in the face of eternal peace?

Besides, I've got the best damn dragon to ever live along with me for the journey. Isn't that right, Alduin, you badass little bastard?

My hand reaches behind my shoulder where Alduin lay draped across the backboard of the bed, his three heads bobbing up and down as I rub the skin of his belly.

"Skree!"

A much softer cry this time, as if he recognised that Grayfia was sleeping. This little guy is nothing short of a genius. I've never been more proud in my life.

I really do need to work on a name for each head. Calling them One, Two and Three just won't work in the long run I reckon. Curse my inability to make original names. I'd thought my improvisational skills utterly superb.

Where was I? Right, Alduin is no doubt going to be a source of questioning among my peers, but his value is such that I don't much care for the questioning. At Level 22, he already has almost half my STR. This little guy is going to be a fucking menace in the future.

It seems like I was also right about his inheriting of my abilities. Not long before we got in bed, a small skirmish broke out between One and Two, with One biting off a decent chunk of Two's face. Grayfia and I could only watch in awe as the wound simply wove itself back together in seconds.

While I had to admonish them both for fighting, I couldn't wipe the grin off my face having seen such powerful regenerative capabilities. My boy is special, no doubt.

"Master?" Grayfia calls out quietly from my side, jolting me from my thoughts yet again.

"Hm? Is something the matter, Grayfia?"

She shuffles in place slightly, embarassed by the looks of it.

"I can't sleep." Unable to stop myself, I laugh for a moment.

"I can see that." Seeing her small pout, I continue. "What's stopping you from sleeping?"

"...I'm afraid."

Hearing the slight tremble in her voice, my smile drops and I turn to her once more.

"I'm afraid that when I fall asleep, I'll wake up and this will all have been a dream."

She stumbles over the words slightly, either ashamed or terrified, or both.

"I'm scared that when I wake up, I'll be back in the manor, alone and lost and-"

For once I decide not to think my next actions through, instead doing the first thing that comes to my mind.

Slowly, I reach out and pull her in closer, her head now cradled against my chest. She goes quiet shortly after I rest my hand atop her head thereafter.

"There." I say, proud of my solution to her problem, cliché though it may be. This whole bloody situation feels like a cliché honestly.

"Now when you wake up, the first thing you'll feel is my arms around you, and you'll know it was all real. Is that alright?"

Instantly, she nuzzles in closer, legs intertwining with my own as she giggles softly. Distantly, I wonder if she was just looking for an excuse to close the distance between us. I know I was.

"Yes, it is. Thank you... for everything." She mutters, her voice barely audible.

"It's as I said, you don't need to thank me. I'll always be here, so rest easy."

Those seem to be the magic words because shortly after she falls asleep, her body melting further into my own. She must've been quite exhausted to drift away so quickly.

Then again, I am too. I'd struggled to sleep initially, and the business with Alduin hatching interrupted any chances I had. My mind has been racing with thoughts of the future ever since, stopping me from catching any meaningful rest.

...I'm lying, of course. The truth is, despite how assured I may have seemed, deep down I'm afraid of the same thing Grayfia is.

Afraid that this is nothing more than a vivid hallucination my mind has conjured up, that I'm still down in that cell, shackled to the ceiling and missing an eye. Is my good fortune since then real, or is it merely the desperate delusions of a dying man?

Only one way to find out, I suppose.

------------------------------------

Morning comes with pleasant warmth and the feeling of Grayfia's soft breathing against my chest, not the cold darkness of a cell. Of course it was all real. Worthless fucking brain, making me think my effort was all for nothing.

Anyways, it's quite clear that Grayfia's been awake for quite a while now. At least, longer than I've been. The second I stir somewhat I feel her stiffen up, before she tries to play it off and pretend she's asleep again.

As much as I'd love to sit and bask in her warmth for the next few hours, I have work to do. Work I've put off for far too long. The sooner Serafall learns of my time in Lucifaad, the sooner I can get back to the battlefield and prepare myself for my revenge on Bidleid.

I won't allow anyone else the pleasure of snuffing him out. It is far beyond personal now. Call me selfish, but I don't much care for Serafall's grudge or Sirzech's regrets. I want to watch the light drain from his eyes and relish in the feeling of utter victory.

First things first, though, I need to actually get out of bed, an incredibly difficult task considering who I'm in the company of. A far more sinful part of me is tempted to just lay back down and let the world wash away around me, to ignore the war and embrace my slothfulness.

I fucking hate being a Devil sometimes. It's like having intrusive thoughts but worse, there's always something in the back of your head tempting you towards Sinning in some shape or form.

Before I can complain about Sin for much longer, my train of thought is rudely interrupted by Grayfia's sudden yawn, one I know to be fake given I'd long since realised she was awake. Shortly after, she shifts away slightly so that she can raise herself up on the bed to meet my gaze.

With our eyes now level and mere inches separating us on the pillow, she reaches out and places her hand against my cheek, her small smile brighter than any light of Heaven could ever be.

"Good morning, Master. Did you sleep well?"

...If I wasn't already intent on marrying this woman, I would've been hard pressed for a reason not to after that.

"I did, thank you. I can see that you had an easy night as well."

Her smile deepens, a small dusting of red creeping up her cheeks.

"Indeed... I would say it was the calmest I've slept in years."

It almost hurts to cut such a tender moment short, but I can't let myself get lost in it.

"You flatter me. Now, as much as I'd like to sit around and do nothing all day, we've important matters to attend to."

For a moment I think she's going to voice a complaint, to whine and ask for five more minutes, but immediately a switch is flipped and she's all business.

She moves like she's on autopilot, getting up quickly and nudging me away from the bed to set the covers, dusting down a nearby desk and opening a window for Alduin to 'go for a walk' as she put it.

While I'm not sure he needs them, I won't question her judgement. Instead, I leave the room and head to one I'd originally claimed for myself, to finally face the music and call Serafall after hours of procrastinating.

Feeling apt for the situation, I make sure to crack my knuckles first, as if it will help me to focus in some manner. Moments later the transmission goes through, and I wait patiently for her to pick up.

Deep breaths, Alistair. Pretend you haven't just been playing house with her rival.

More seconds pass, agonising time spent thinking over every possible way this conversation could play out, until finally she answers.

"ALI!? HOLY SHIT ARE YOU OKAY?"

Her volume almost causes me to jump in shock. Distantly, I hear small explosions through the receiver. Is she... is she in the middle of a fucking battle?

"OH- OH! DID YOU SEE THE GIANT BUG THING IN LUCIFAAD? WHAT EVEN WAS THAT? IT LOOKED SO COOL!"

Ah. I forgot about that, funny enough. Before I can even get a response in, she goes on.

"SORRY IF IM TOO LOUD BY THE WAY, THERE WAS THIS BIG EXPLOSION NEARBY A FEW MINUTES AGO AND I CANT HEAR ALL THAT WELL ANYMORE!"

Well, that definitely explains the volume. And the screaming. And the incredibly heavy breathing she's sending through, as she's no doubt battering countless Devils.

While I think of a response, I catch more of the battle going on. Every now and then I hear an incredibly heavy thunk and light giggling shortly after, and the constant sound of screaming, be it in pain or in anger. It's only slightly horrifying.

Seeing as she's in the middle of something, maybe dropping the bomb of my time in Lucifaad would be too much. Hell, maybe she won't even be able to hear me. Fuck it, no time like the present.

"I completed my mission. The Lucifuge Clan has been disbanded."

To my surprise she cheers, shouting my name as though it were my birthday and praising my 'natural talent; honed by an excellent tutor.' When she asks me to elaborate though, I hesitate briefly.

"...Euclid is dead. Grayfia has chosen to stay with me and is willing to fight for your cause. Gehrman has surrendered himself in Lilith."

Her cheer dies instantly. It's as though you could hear a pin drop. For a moment I think the battle has ended all of a sudden, but as Serafall's breathing turns raspy I realise that she's frozen everything around her, causing all sound to vanish.

"Grayfia has... chosen to stay with you?"

Her voice comes through with a cold clarity, as if the previous shouting and hearing issues were nothing more than an act. The words are delivered dry, her tone utterly indecipherable.

Faintly, I hear the sound of smashing, as if she were going around the frozen battlefield destroying the trapped soldiers one by one.

"She's willing to fight... for our cause!?"

She now spits the words out as if they're poison on her lips, as if their very existence is a blight upon her own. She's mad. Holy fuck, she is so mad.

"Report back to the Sitri Manor. I'll collect you in 20- no, 15 minutes."

"...As you command, my Lady." I say, utterly terrified of pissing her off even further.

"Good. Serafall out."

Silence. Blissful silence. What the fuck have I gotten myself into, pushing myself between these two women? I knew it was intense, but I expected nothing more than a surface level grudge from being on opposite sides of a war. From how it sounded, they're fucking blood enemies.

Sera didn't specifically give me any word on what I should do with Grayfia, but I now know for a fact that if I brought her along it would be actual bedlam, or possibly just a death battle. I can't take that risk, so I'll have to leave her behind at the estate.

Realistically, that went only slightly worse than I expected. Part of me was ready to be given the death sentence and labelled a traitor over the comms, but she didn't even question my claims. I'm not sure if that's to my benefit, though, given how she sounded towards the end.

I'd wager any amount of money she's thinking up ways to convince me I need to kill Grayfia or allow her to be killed for her crimes. Clearly word hasn't spread yet of Gehrman's sacrifice, which does me no fucking favours.

For now I've no doubt she'll want a full debrief of the situation in Lucifaad, and then I'll probably have to give an even more detailed one to the council in Lilith, where I'll most likely be bargaining for Grayfia's freedom if Gehrman's plan turns out to be a bust. I may as well solve world hunger while I'm at it, since clearly I'm not under enough pressure.

No sweat. Just need to put the old Alistair charm to work. The first step for that is some good old outside the box thinking. I need to make a quick call.

"Is this important, Alistair? I'm rather busy as of now, and I was under the assumption you are too."

"My business in Lucifaad is done with, I've gotten what I wanted. Euclid's dead and Grayfia's in my care."

"...Hm. I must admit, I wasn't expecting this news, and especially not so soon." His tone doesn't even break, still sounding utterly dead and detached.

"Oh? You don't sound very surprised by any of this."

"I assure you, though my inflection may not be a good indication, I am thoroughly astounded by your feat. It isn't too much an exaggeration to say you were against impossible odds."

"I guess I got quite lucky. Now, I'm talking to you because I'm willing to make a deal, and what I'm asking for isn't much. Just... in any way you can, try and calm Serafall down? Maybe convince her that killing Grayfia is a no good, very bad idea?"

"I must say it's quite bold of you to try and tame the most powerful women the Underworld has ever seen all while being afraid of one of them.Then again so far you've done nothing but exceed expectations so this is suprisingly in character for you."

"...is that a yes?"

"If you can offer me something worth my time and effort then yes, it is."

With zero hesitation I put forward my offer. I've no doubt he'll jump at the chance to research something like Alduin.

"I'm willing to give you everything I gathered from Euclid's lab, alongside some mutated Dragon DNA in exchange."

"...how did you get your hands on... Ahem. I won't question it, but I will say that I accept your offer. I can't promise results, but I'll do my best to convince Serafall that Grayfia shouldn't be executed at the very least."

"At this point that's about all I can ask for. Thank you, Ajuka."

"Don't thank me. This is a transaction, not a favour. And do remember, though I may not show it outwardly, I've come to care for Serafall as though she were a sister."

His voice doesn't waver, doesn't tremble, hell it doesn't even shift in tone or pitch but I still feel the threat in every word.

"If that's all, I'll be leaving now. I expect to see you in my lab soon."

Companion Quest: Deal with a Devil has been issued.

Companion Quest: Two for the Price of One has been issued.

I'd almost forgotten those were a thing.

Anyways, this doesn't make things any easier, but at the very least I should be dealing with a calm, rational Serafall instead of an irrational, furious one. That changes everything going forward.

It's going to take quite a lot of effort and a bit of time to change Serafall's view of Grayfia enough that they can actually tolerate one another, if such a thing is even possible. But that's fine.

I'm willing to wait. And I'm willing to work for it. I wouldn't dare back down at the smallest fucking hurdle.

------------------------------------

Explaining the situation to Grayfia took less than a minute, mainly because I had the foresight to shut down any self-deprecating thoughts she had instantly with a few strong words about how I value her more than a couple of arguments to come with Sera.

Just to make sure she wouldn't follow me and wouldn't end up embroiled in something while I was away, I tasked her with taking care of Alduin in my temporary absence, something she was more than happy to do.

Right now, I stand in the gardens of the Sitri Manor, a place that I would have thought would bring me comfort and joy to see again, but instead now brings only trepidation.

I'm under no illusions as to why Serafall is so angry. It has nothing to do with me (technically), no her anger lies solely on the fact that despite the things Grayfia's done during her time with the loyalists, she will not be allowed to die due to her status as a vassal and the importance of her blood.

That fact fucking infuriates her, because despite the wealth of horrific torture methods Devils have come up with, Serafall is utterly convinced that Grayfia has committed some heinous crime and deserves death. Chances are they've got some sordid history.

I need an angle here. I'm confident that Gehrman's words will put a significant dent in Serafall's hatred at least, but I want to try and broker some kind of peace, or understanding between the two of them beyond just a simple acceptance.

If I'm gonna do that successfully, first I need to understand just why she hates Grayfia so much and work forwards from there. I swear they'll be the best bloody friends the Underworld has ever seen by the time I'm through with them.

"Alistair!"

I hear her before I see her, the teleportation sigil appearing shortly after her shout sends every bird in a three mile radius anywhere but here.

She didn't even bother to freshen up for our reunion, her clothes still covered in blood and her hair darkened further with splotches of it. To my surprise, she runs forward at me, a smile on her now red lips.

Is she... is she going in for a hug? I can't lie, as much as I've wanted to feel her embrace again, I don't think this is the time nor the-

DANGER

"Where is she!? Where are you hiding her!?"

I get less than a second to recognise the Instinct and think 'oh fuck, she's the danger' before I have to throw myself to the side, rolling to catch myself and summoning Caduceus as I do so.

To my good fortune Serafall doesn't send a follow-up, instead choosing to let her fist slam into the ground, the earth beneath us having shook violently and splintered under the force of her fists.

Seeing a chance to speak, I say the first thing that comes to my mind.

"Have you lost your bloody mind Sera!?"

"No! You're the one who's lost his mind! All of you have; you, Sirzechs, Ajuka! None of you understand!"

I don't get a chance to respond fully, my words cut off short as she dashes forward yet again, her leg poised to strike as she flies through the air, fractions of a second passing before she reaches me.

As soon as she gets close I redirect the blow, hastily using the handguard of Caduceus to Parry her leg aside and send her veering off course, to which she lands perfectly on her feet despite having been entirely upside down at one point.

"This would be so much simpler if you just told me where she is, Ali! I promise things can go back to normal!"

"I did not have a standoff with Bidleid fucking Beelzebub just so you can come along and kill her after all my hard work to avoid that! If you would just listen to me, I could show you that she's not as evil as you think!"

She doesn't even flinch at my words, I'm almost convinced she's not even listening until I catch a hint of hesitation in her movements. Good.

Fucking Ajuka. Why did I think he would be able to help me solve an emotionally charged matter like this? I think getting his aid has only made this far worse for me.

Oh well. There's a dent in her armour and I need to capitalise, so thinking quickly I dismiss Caduceus and walk forward with my hands raised before she can attack again.

"Believe me, Serafall, she is a victim in all of this. I have proof, I can show it to you if you would just calm down."

She makes no move nor says a word in response, so I continue walking, my hands twitching as I hold the thought to summon the Harbinger on the edge of my mind.

"Gehrman can attest to the same truth. Grayfia was held among the Loyalists against her will, only acting in fear of repercussions against herself and her family. She is not the villain you assume her to be."

Just as I believe I'm getting somewhere, when I think I'm starting to push through her barriers, I feel a familiar Instinct come forward and dread pooling in my stomach.

DANGER

This time I don't manage to react in time, taking the brunt of Serafall's damn-near supersonic fist head on, my rubs cratering inward and my body flung violently into the air shortly afterwards.

-1353HP!

I know for a fact she wasn't going to kill me. I know she'll probably regret that later, and that she remembers our discussion about harming me unnecessarily. The only conclusion I can come to in my weary mind then is that I've struck a nerve.

7560HP!

As I cast a Prayer on myself and stand back up, I look over at Serafall and see her fist still held in the position it impacted me in, her eyes shadowed by her hair as she heaves each breath out.

"You're all so naïve! A pretty face, a couple tears, a sad backstory and suddenly you forgive her for everything!"

She lowers her arm and lifts her head up, allowing me to see that tears are rolling down her cheeks as she glares fiercely.

"I watched her kill every friend I had once. I refuse to let her do it a second time."

...Well fuck. Grayfia was a part of the King's Court Massacre. That complicates things.

Against her will though it may have been, to Serafall that doesn't mater for shit given that her friends are dead and buried and their killer is about to be pardoned for it all.

"I'm sorry, Ali, but you have to understand now, I'm doing this for you!"

The situation is escalating further and further out of my control, if it was ever even there to begin with. To think this all could have been avoided if I had some fucking context.

"I understand why you are angry, and that you feel this course of action necessary. But please, just read what Gehrman has to say before you do anything else. Give him a chance to explain everything."

Silence. I am greeted with nothing but utter silence. Slowly, I can see the gears shifting in her head, two sides of her fighting for control as she struggles to make a decision.

Will she give in to her spite? Choose to follow in the footsteps of the Satan's who ruled before her, lash out in anger as she does so everyday on the battlefield? Or will she choose to have hope, to extend a branch of kindness in spite of all the wrongs that have been done to her like her fellow Generals would want her to?

Finally, after minutes of agonising wait, she meets my gaze and gives me an answer.

"...I make no promises, Ali. Show me the fucking letter already."