Beliefs

[Zerrif]

"Why did I know those arrows...? God I wish I could swim right now, there are so many things that I need to have put right... but my arms and my legs won't move. They don't move. Afraid... I was always afraid and he was always there but now..."

Ren jerked as something grabbed his arm, having been sinking for what seemed like an eternity. His breath had long since left him and he was surprised he was still awake-- when he remembered the explanations before about the waters of Byalan. Was he descending to the lower levels without realising it, into the magical waters that allowed people to breathe? None of it really made sense.

Especially since he was now moving upwards. That made no sense at all. He opened his eyes, feeling the sting of water as he watched something green tug him higher, and higher. They were going to break the water's surface, flashes and hues of almost every colour reflected down into the depths.

---

"Frost Diver~!" Bascht chanted, sending pillars of ice crashing through the ground. The water around it even began to freeze solid, and the Archer simply hopped straight up, grabbing onto a stalacitite, letting the stalagmites of ice harmlessly whiz underneath. He dropped down and balanced rather precariously on top of a jutting cone of ice, drawing another arrow.

"Pneuma!" Gerik quickly cut in, shrouding the Mage in the protective cloud. He was panting heavily by this point-- having to focus on all three of them left above the waters. This Archer wasn't fooling around-- one slip-up, and his partymates would find themselves one arrow heavier. Still, despite the strain he was feeling, he continued on, ducking behind a low stalagmite, arrows jutting into the rock shield.

Everyone turned their heads suddenly, when a loud splash came from the side, Muarim emerging from the depths with Ren. The Mechant hauled Ren up to a nearby shore, and Gerik peeked out to quickly give them a protective Pneuma mist as well, before evading another volley.

"Is he okay?!" Gerik shouted, watching as D stepped out from the corner of his eye, drawing the Archer's attention. He looked over and saw Muarim slightly red in the face, shrugging his shoulders.

"Alive? Yes. Is he okay? Er... that's a little different." He started to say, before he found his axe tossed at him by the Blacksmith. He caught it mid-air and suddenly stood, remembering that he'd come back in the middle of a fight.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Bascht asked, stepping under an already pre-formed cloud cast by the Acolyte. "Is he, or is he not oka--" He stopped talking as Ren stood though, gaze completely fixed on the Archer. Having gotten clothes damp made them form-hugging, and Bascht blinked incredulously.

Ren wasn't a boy at all. The Archer, evidently a female, seemed to ignore the group's stares, eyeing the other that was now confronting them. "Stop this at once!" She shouted, her voice having changed in pitch. "Brother, why are you doing this?"

"Brother?" Gerik questioned, as he turned to face the other Archer as well. Things were getting far too mind-boggling at this point. Sure Ren seemed slighty effeminate in form and looks, but Gerik had seen worse. Now the rather effeminate Archer was suddenly a boyish girl? This had to be some cruel joke.

"Heh. So you're still wake, eh Mimiko? Unfortunate. I was hoping you wouldn't have to see me kill your friends." The Archer spoke back. Everyone assumed battle-ready stances again, except for the Archer. "Looks like there's going to be a lot of explaining... if you live, that is. The Archer began to reach inside his robes, and pulled out a handful of branches, before he just smirked and threw them into a pool of water.

"Wait--!" Ren began, though she skidded to a halt as gigantic figures of ice rose from the depths. She yelped, and then quickly hopped back evasively, raising her bow. "Ice Titans? How--?"

"Dead Branches! No time to explain!" Bascht shouted, pointing towards the exit. "We can't handle this, it's time to go! Now!" Ren hesitated, and then turned away, running towards the rest of the group

---

"What the HELL was all that?" Bascht shouted angrily. The group had beat a hasty retreat outside, with Ren's brother following them with a hail of arrows, and branches. Gerik was laid out on his back beside a campfire, spent from having to provide cover and aid to the group. The Mage stormed over to the Archer, who was trying to warm up near the fire. "You've got a LOT of explaining to do."

"Calm down." Gerik mumbled, as he sat himself up. Muarim helped support the Acolyte and he just stared at the Archer. "But yes, we need to know. You can't be keeping stuff like this from us."

"Oh, right, because you all make such fine and wonderful examples of people who are completely open, and don't keep things, right?" Ren shot back heaving a sigh at the fire. "... My real name is Mimiko. I was named that when I entered the guild with my brother because... all I ever did was mimic him.

"Yes, I'm a girl." Ren continued. "When I entered the guild with my brother, I was harassed and constantly made fun of because of who I was. I always tried to fit in with the boys, and I never really fit in with the girls. I became a sort of tomboy-- but I was never up to their standards to fit in. That's why at the Guild I was sort of an outcast; I wasn't accepted by either side. Most of everything else is truth. My brother disappeared investigating here and..."

At that point, Ren began to break down. Bascht groaned, and just moved to sit beside the fire as well. "This doesn't make any sense. Your brother was lost upon investigation-- and you even said yourself that rescue teams had gone to Byalan, and come back. Why then, would he attack us, and only us?" Ren just shook her head.

"I don't know, if I had the answers that you were seeking, I'd gladly give them to you." She looked up at the fire, not even blinking. "Why was he dressed like that? Why did he have Dead Branches and... why did he do that to us?" She looked around for an answer, but got none right away.

"... That's because..." Gerik broke in, staring at the fire himself. "... There's a lot to explain Mimiko."

"Ren. Please, just call me Ren. I'd rather not be a girl right now." She mumbled-- though she wasn't masking her voice. "I knew that I wasn't a great Archer, so I began to look into other paths. But for girls the only path was to be a Dancer. As amazing as some are I..." She blushed a little, and looked herself over. "I don't see myself dressing like that, or performing like that in the streets. When I heard about Bards and Clowns, I set out to become one. I know that they're supposed to be a male-exclusive profession but... I still want to try." She mumbled. Gerik smiled.

"Well then, Ren. Let's start from the beginning, and what we know..."