Irredeemable

Reunion

The newly formed trio left Kingsport. Favian had decided to join them, anxious for a shot at revenge against the God Seeker. No one had spoken since Malek passed. Vayne had to carry Gravel, as the overexertion still weighed them down. They couldn't even walk on their own.

The silence was deafening. With nothing else to occupy them, Gravel's limited conscious fell to their thoughts. Gravel didn't like their thoughts. They had failed, yet again. Was there anything, anything at all, they could do correctly? They had failed to save Two, the smith, and Malek. They had failed to find Inge, instead banding together with a bandit for mutual protection. Their list of failures was quite lengthy.

They remembered Inge. While Gravel was admittedly unsure, they believed Inge's offer was still available. Having another powerful fighter in the group would definitely prove useful, especially seeing as further conflict with the seekers seemed basically inevitable. They just needed to actually find Inge. Whenever they could walk again, it would be their top priority.

As the group pressed on, Favian's curiosity finally got the better of him. He stopped walking for a moment. "Can I see it?"

Vayne stopped. She turned to face him. "Can you see, what?"

"I'd like to see the charm we're trying to destroy."

At first, Vayne was unsure how to respond. Soon enough, she did. "Look, Fav- Can I call you Fav?"

"No."

"Well Fav, the point is, honestly I haven't seen it either. The kid really keeps that thing under lock and key."

Confused, Favian continued to ask questions. "So you gave up everything you had before, in order to follow around a vessel, risking your own life, and you haven't even seen why you're fighting? How do you even know they have it?"

Vayne tensed. "I do my research. And let's just leave it at 'there wasn't much to walk away from' alright?"

Realizing he had struck a nerve, Favian altered his approach. "My apologies, I didn't mean to upset you. I just didn't understand why you follow them."

Vayne stopped responding to him.

Gravel had been stuck in the middle of this, and had become very concerned for the stability of this group. They could only hope they would all hold out until the charm was destroyed. They wondered to themselves why they hadn't shown the charm to Vayne. They hadn't even had time to consider Favian, but Vayne had proven to be a great friend and ally. Perhaps it was simply her past as a thief that made them hesitate to fully trust her. They decided to show the charm whenever they were next able to control their own body.

The group had decided to set up camp for the night. While sleeping bags were being unfurled, everyone stopped. They could hear something. It was movement, just out of sight. Favian drew his nail, as Vayne grabbed Gravel's still mostly limp form. Both bugs stood around them. The charm needed to be protected at all costs. As Gravel tried to figure out what was happening, they heard something.

"Do not worry, friend. I am here to help you."

A blurry form darted out of nowhere, nail drawn. They lunged at Favian, who was barely able to avoid being impaled. Slowing down, the attacker revealed themselves, although they were still swinging their blade rather quickly. They were a vessel, definitely. The mask gave them away. Their horns curled into a small ball, and they wore a purple cloak with an ornate bottom. Even their blade was fancy.

Suddenly, Gravel realized who was attacking them. They called out to their fellow vessel, through the strange understanding they all shared. "Wait. Do not attack. They are friends."

Hearing this, Inge halted the onslaught and returned their nail to their back. As they stepped away, the tension seemed to die down. Inge nodded a greeting to their former opponents and marched forward to Gravel.

"What happened to you? Can you stand?"

"No. Long story. Over exerted self. Could not handle it. Regaining strength. Can almost stand."

Favian's nail was still drawn and pointed at Inge. Similarly, Vayne hadn't sheathed her daggers yet either. However, she soon realized that the vessel had stopped attacking them. Maybe her friend was speaking to them somehow? In case this were true, she grabbed a hold of Gravel and helped them sit up.

Gravel, having involuntarily sat up, continued the conversation.

"See? Friends. Very important thing needs discussion."

Curious, Inge tilted their head. Gravel explained.

"Found charm. Charm is kingsoul."

"How did you get that? I thought it was destroyed when our sibling reclaimed their past. Unless... maybe sibling's final impression on the world was as its king."

Gravel was shocked by Inge's last remark. A vessel? King? It couldn't be. Had something happened to the Pale King? No. That could never happen. The king was a god, after all, a higher being. Surely he was beyond death's reach. The king was untouchable.

"Origin is unimportant. Need it destroyed. Forge destroy it."

"The forge? I've heard of it, many nail smiths reside there. They may not want you to cast it into the molten pool. They are concerned with it's purity."

Gravel thought about this. They may have to fight just to reach their destination. And who knew what might await them there? They certainly didn't. They could use another fighter on their side, especially one as skilled as Inge. Perhaps they would be willing to help after all these years.

"Help us?"

"You have all you need. You don't need me anymore. Your friends are your greatest strength. I am certain you will be fine once this ends. However, because of the urgency of this situation, I will help you."

Gravel could feel their legs again, as well as their arms. Concentrating their efforts, they stood up on their own. They walked to Inge, and they hugged them.

"Thank you."

Inge paused for a moment.

"Don't thank me until I've done something."

It's finally done! It was a pretty short chapter relatively, so I have no clue why this chapter took so long to write, I'm very sorry. This chapter will be it for this month, as I'm sure most people would predict. I'll be working on the next chapter, starting in July. I've got a pretty decent handle on where the series is going from here, so buckle up, it's going to be a bumpy ride. As always, I hope you enjoyed, and I'll see you in the next chapter!