119 – Hollis

Rather than heading straight for Hollis, Vivi first [Blinked] around the cave system and found the townsfolk-turned-monsters, which Eshara’s team had restrained in various locations. Doing so gave her a moment to think, which she appreciated for a few reasons. Eshara was the one who had primarily tossed her thoughts into disarray, but Vivi also didn’t want to face down another ‘the Sorceress reveals herself’ with Hollis—an ordeal that would probably never stop making her uncomfortable.

Vivi hadn’t known how to act when Eshara had collapsed in front of her. She didn’t like being thanked under normal circumstances, like by Guard Captain Soren or the previous townsfolk, much less… that. The effusive, gasping, forehead-pressed-to-the-ground display which Eshara had insisted on.

Vivi hated how useless she’d been. She hadn’t had a single clue what to say to the woman. Emotions weren’t her strong suit at the best of times, but she’d been at even more of a loss than usual. Maybe she should’ve anticipated an intense reaction, planned for it. She just hadn’t expected to arrive to find Eshara battling her prior teammate. The timing had, in different senses, been both poor and incredible at once.

Though Vivi didn’t know Hollis, she expected the man would do a much better job comforting Eshara than Vivi herself could, which was why she’d flitted off to collect him rather than stay by Eshara’s side.

While tracking down the knight and her team earlier, Vivi had identified nine mutated townsfolk through the cave system. She returned to them now and wrapped each in a bubble of magic to drag them along. The task took a few minutes at most; she had dropped beacons, and [Blink] accelerated the process too.

Her last stop was the source [Detect Presence] had pinged earlier, hidden behind a stone wall. When she’d first noticed him, she had phased through to check that he was safe, though she had cast [Invisibility] since she knew meeting him would be an ordeal. As any introduction with her tattoos openly worn would be.

With a swish of her staff, mana suffused the rock and melted it outward, opening a pathway in. She left the captured townsfolk behind and stepped through. Upon hearing stone grumbling sideways, Hollis jerked in surprise and snapped his gaze toward the disturbance. She met his eyes.

The man was closer to his twilight years than his dawning ones, though he wasn’t elderly. He had short dirty-blond hair greased down with the filth of the expedition. His staff lying by his side—a smooth, polished white rod—and his robes gave away his profession in an instant. Even something about the wrinkles on his face, the kindness and wisdom in his eyes, gave off an aura of ‘cleric.’

“Eshara?” the man had immediately asked, since that was the reasonable explanation. But instead, Vivi walked in, and she watched his face go blank in response. He stared at her—no doubt taking in the red tears painting her cheeks, her general appearance that suggested one identity. She waited patiently as the man’s thoughts visibly froze, in the way that everyone’s did upon learning the Sorceress was standing in front of them.

Maybe when I announce myself to the world, the reactions will stop being so painful. One reason to look forward to that, I suppose.

“Hello, Hollis. Eshara’s safe,” she opened with, hoping to break the stunned silence. “As is your other teammate.” She wouldn’t bury the lede on that, since his party’s fate was what he surely cared about most. “Are you hurt? I’m assuming it’s mostly manaburn.”

She accomplished her goal: the words startled the man out of his shock. He reacted in a way Vivi hadn’t seen yet for ‘the Sorceress revealing herself,’ though.

He smiled, slumped back, and started chuckling to himself.

“Better late than never, as they say,” he said wryly. “Ah, what a relief. I would stand to greet you, Lady Sorceress, but I’m certain my face would meet the ground the moment I tried. I would prefer to not make a fool of myself. Please forgive the reception.”

After a second’s pause—his lack of surprise had caught her off guard in turn—Vivi said, “No, please don’t strain yourself. Stay seated.” Since she hadn’t gotten an answer, she repeated, “Are you hurt?”

“Ah.” Hollis twitched at the reminder. “No, my lady, simply manaburn.” He snorted. “That, and mundane exhaustions of every imaginable sort. It has been a very trying expedition. As even the easiest are, I admit, when I have that woman to keep up with.”

She was pleased by how smoothly the man seemed to have taken her arrival. “I have something that can help.” She pulled a potion out of her inventory and walked over. “I was dealing with manaburn myself recently, and my alchemist made this for me. It won’t fix anything, but it’ll take the edge off.”

Hollis eyed the glass vial. “Miraelle of Vanguard’s. You’re sure you’re willing to part with it?”

“Yes, please. Take.”

“I know better than to decline help when offered.” He accepted the vial, uncorked it, and downed the liquid in a single go. A pause, and then a shiver seized him. “Thank you, Lady Vivisari.”

“I think I’m the one who should be thanking you.”

Continuing to pleasantly surprise her, the man considered her statement with a contemplative look rather than immediately tripping over himself with something along the lines of ‘the Sorceress shouldn’t be thanking me,’ like some might have.

“We’re all doing what we can,” Hollis said eventually. He smiled. “Let us compromise on the matter and express mutual gratitude.”

“I can do that.” She hesitated, wondering whether she should voice her curiosity. “You… don’t seem very surprised.” It was undoubtedly one of the most subdued reactions she’d gotten so far.

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“Is that how you see it?” He hummed. “In a sense, I of course am. But also not.”

“Why?”

“I knew the heavens would provide for her,” the cleric said seriously. “It was a monstrous position Eshara was put in. One that seemed too cruel even by the capricious whims of Fate. The gods would not abandon her in that way.”

Ah, Vivi thought. Right. A man of faith.

“And there were the rumors from the capital,” the man added. “It was difficult to do anything but dismiss those as wild hearsay, yet in retrospect, I harbored suspicions.” He seemed to realize something. “The capital—the source of your own manaburn, I take it?”

“Yes. I needed to push myself.” She changed topics. “Did the potion help?”

“Immensely,” he said, rubbing the side of his head. He sounded impressed. “Merely a pickaxe bashing into my skull, rather than a boulder dropping onto it, now.”