Valerie turned her head to look at the young man following her. Quies had just drank the night vision potion she gave him. Originally, she only planned to just use one of each potion she brought, however she had to abandon that plan when Quies thought it was a good idea to knock a vigil student out.
Valerie always had a habit of bringing more than she needed, or at least a backup. In this instance, she had purchased an extra potion or two from the brewery, just in case anything happened where she needed to use an extra. This… wasn't exactly how she thought she would be using her extras.
'I'll need him for later, anyways. Well… maybe I might not.'
The two walked up the steep incline at the base of the wide pire. A soft gust passed by, brushing past the side of her matte coat.
She had gotten this specific attire when she was still aligned with the divers. It was only given to divers who have truly proven themselves to withstand the trials and terrors of the depths. It was one of the finest sets of attire throughout lumen, its armor forged out of precious metals meant to withstand the creatures that dwelled there.
It felt off to wear it without bearing the honorifics of Black Diver. Though, she preferred this uneasiness over working for the divers again.
"What do you want me to do once I get up there, Valerie?"
"I guess… just try to stay alive? And just stand on business in that area, but don't look too conspicuous, if you get what I mean."
"S-sure!"
She felt like half of the words she said went in one his ears and out the other. However, having him here was important in case anything didn't go to plan. It's good to have a backup.
'I wonder how many more missions Evengarde Rest is going to make me do. This has to be the last one before the vigils are going to go for the forge.'
Prior to this instance, the vigils have contracted Valerie to go on a few missions. Most of them were reconnaissance, with Valerie trying to get more information about the state of Etris and its people. Most importantly, how much damage has already been done since lord regent took the throne.
She was last sent on a mission to assess the effects of the lord regent's mind veil placed on the inhabitants of Etris. That was when, coming back, she came across Quies. She was sent on that mission after a previous mission, where she was originally meant to try to get more information on the lord regent. She rarely got more than a single day to pause and regroup before Maestro Evengarde sent her on another objective.
She hadn't told Quies explicitly, but she was sent on this mission for more than one purpose.
The first reason she was here was to find out how the lord regent is able to spread his mind veil across Etris so effectively. No mortal human should've been able to use a mantra with such widespread effect. Unless, of course, lord regent wasn't a human at all.
Which leads to the second reason, the reason she had mostly implied to Quies. She was going to find the truth of Lord Regent. She had to know if that thing was connected to… well, anything. The only information she knew about the lord, or at least had privy to, was the fact that he had usurped the throne from the previous ruler of Etris.
Compared to other times she had been sent to Etris, she felt much more relaxed. Hopefully, this was the last mission she would be sent on.
At least up until tensions rise in the Etrean luminant.
***
Valerie strained, pulling Quies up and over a steep edge. She grabbed onto his arms, while he held onto hers. Below was a drop four times her height, which she managed to just about leap over. After a few more seconds, Valerie hoisted Quies' upper body onto the soft grass of the cliff edge.
This was where she planned to complete the objective.
"Gosh, how much weight have you gained? I knew I shouldn't have fed you that much."
The young man gathered his bearings and picked himself up off of the ground. The large Zweihander mounted on the back of his light armor grazed the blades of grass as he took a knee.
"First time I've been called fat."
She had advised him against choosing a weapon that large, especially for someone so new to swordsmanship. But who knows, maybe he was used to swinging around large sticks when he was surviving in Erisia, though she doubted it.
However, she did have to commend him for how fast he was able to improve his swordsmanship. He was by no means a master after one sparring session, but she was astonished that he was even able to somewhat keep up with her. That technique too… she hadn't expected him to be able to actually pick it up, or at least somewhat get the hang of it.
She was unsure whether bringing Quies along for her mission was the right choice, considering that he might've been more of a burden than a benefit. Now, though, she was confident that he would at least be able to stand his ground against a guard or two… if it ever came down to it, of course.
"So, uhh… I guess just stay here while I go fetch someone to interrogate."
Quies stood tall near the edge of the cliff. The dim glow of hundreds of lamps emanated from behind him, their waning colors fading into the veil of night.
"Okay, I can do that. But, why here?"
"What do you mean?"
"Like… Why are we in such an isolated place?"
A deafening silence hung in the air. Only the wind dared to howl.
'Crap.'
Valerie gazed at his eyes. Quies quickly looked away a moment later.
"...You'll find out later. It's part of the plan."
Turning away from him, Valerie unbuttoned and dropped her coat on the ground, ignoring whatever Quies had to say next.
The next moment, she was gone.