Deathworld Commando: Reborn

<This isn’t exactly like a stroll through the park.> Cerila signed with a smirk.

I shrugged and signed back, <It is if you squint hard enough and ignore the potential danger of unknown monsters and bandits. Or the fact that we are alone and almost completely disconnected from civilization, besides a small town nearby. Then it’s basically the same thing.>

She giggled and shrugged back and answered, <That’s one way of putting it.>

She let out a deep breath and looked up into the sky. The sun was lazily drifting off, bathing the entire forest in its warmth. There was a slight chill to the air, not enough to be uncomfortable or bring forth snow, but this far north, it was only a matter of a few weeks before the first drops would begin. Hopefully, we would be far away by the time any storms rolled in.

The forest itself was eerily peaceful. The sounds of wild birds, animals, and insects could be heard in all directions. It was easy to forget what kind of dangers lurked around, even this deep into the forest. But for the moment, it was tranquil and even relaxing.

Cerila looked up at a tree not too far away and grinned. <Follow me if you dare.> she signed quickly before leaping away.

I just watched for a moment, briefly stunned by her abilities. Cerila may have been tall for a woman, but she was far from bulky; she moved with a strength and grace that belied her appearance. Bounding up the tall tree with a giant sword wrapped up on her back that was nearly as tall as her. Sometimes it was easy to forget that the little girl from a small village had nearly ascended to the pinnacle of power that most would never even be able to approach in multiple lifetimes.

Well, I’m not far off either.

Cerila settled herself on a branch and waved for me to join her. I could use gravity magic to nearly levitate myself up to her. But where was the fun in that?

Mana flowed through my veins as I felt my muscles pulse with power. I leaped up and bounded off a nearby tree. I swung off branches and climbed higher and higher, throwing my entire body upwards with tremendous strength. It felt easy to climb so high, and in a matter of moments, in no few steps as Cerila did, I perched onto the same branch as her.

The two of us were putting a lot of faith and trust in a single branch to hold our combined weight. But even a fall from this height was of little concern. Mostly.

We were about halfway up one of the taller trees, and from it we could see over the wide expanse of dense forest. The snow-capped mountains seemed so much closer than before, but in reality, we still had another week or more at our current pace to even reach the base.

Even so, it didn’t distract from the otherworldly mystique. It was the kind of picturesque scene a painter would drool over. Or, at least I think one would, not like I had painted anything in my life.

I felt her gaze and looked into Cerila’s amber eyes as she smiled as she signed, <You’ve changed a lot again.>

<For the better, I hope?> I signed with a grin.

She rolled her eyes at me and nudged me playfully. <Of course, for the better. You seem somewhat happier these days. You smile more and even make jokes. You feel like you are more at ease with things, more confident.> she signed.

<You make it seem like I’m an old, wistful man enjoying his twilight years in peace. I’ll have you know I’ve never been busier, and I do genuinely fear the coming tides. And the amount of personal issues I have never seems to dwindle. I hurdle one bomb only for another to explode in my face. It’s getting rather tiresome, you know? What does a man need to do to live a normal life these days?> I signed back with a shrug.

“Kill a god-like being or two, overthrow a tyrannically false religion hellbent on controlling the world for the nefarious desires, and then cement his unshakeable and unquestioning power in the world so none may dare stand before him as an equal?” a deep voice said in my head.

Not now, please.

Cerila just smiled as she let her legs dangle below her. <Even so. I’m happy to see you smile more. It wasn’t long ago that it felt like you had forgotten how to.> she signed.

I sighed and looked up at the sky. <I know what you mean, though. It’s hard not to change. I blink, and it seems like I’m doing things and acting in ways just a few years ago I couldn’t have even imagined, some for the better, others not so much. I know I’ll be going back down a path I didn’t ever want to tread again, but I also know I have no choice in the matter. Perhaps I’m just…content with everything to a certain degree. I understand what needs to be done, so it's a simpler path to follow. Well, as simple as preparing for a new global conflict that will most likely change the entire trajectory of the planet can be.> I signed.

Cerila looked at me with wide eyes for a moment, seeming conflicted before slowly nodding to herself and signing back, <Yeah, seems like something you would do. At least you’ll smile while doing it. That’s much more preferable than being frustrated or cold-hearted about things.>

I just chuckled and ran a hand through my hair. It was getting long now and would reach past my mid-back before long. Perhaps I should get a trim when I get back.

We sat for a few moments in comfortable silence before I heard the light flutter of wings. On a nearby tree, a plump grey bird roosted on a branch. It was a familiar creature; Elowen had caught one a few days back, and it was remarkably tasty when Durak got his hands on it.

It’s a bit awkward of a firing position, and I’m a little rusty, but… that bird does taste damn good.

A silver recurve bow appeared from thin air, the blue accents across its limbs shone in the sun as I drew the Black Orc tendon back. In a single breath, I lost the arrow, and I’d like to say I was at least close to hitting the mark, but…my bow skills were severely behind my others these days. I just didn’t have the time or need to practice as much. The arrow flew off into the leaves, and what would have been a tasty dinner flapped away to a safer location away from my poor attempt at a hunt.

I sent the bow back into my ring and sighed as I started to sign, <I tried at—what? Why are you looking at me like that?>

<You still have it?> she signed, seemingly surprised.

<What? The bow? Of course I do? Why wouldn’t I? It was the first major gift you ever gave me. Although I must admit I don’t use it all that much, I haven't had the time to hunt casually, and I was never good enough with a bow to use it in combat confidently compared to my other skills. Honestly, I think I should frame it and put it up in my office. Would that defeat the purpose of the gift, though?> I asked.

Cerila’s gaze softened as she giggled and signed, <Well, some parts of you haven’t changed much. But those are some of the parts I love most about you.>

All I could do was chuckle awkwardly as I scratched at my warm ear. <Ah…well, you know how it is…> I signed weakly.

Cerila let out a short breath as she let her legs kick freely beneath her. <You know, I’ve nearly finished what you asked of me that day. At least, I’ve gotten pretty far, I think. You already know how much and why I love you, so there’s not much to discuss.>

<Uh, well, I suppose.> I signed.

<I’ve also been spending quite a bit of time with Sylvia recently. I’m not sure we can consider ourselves friends yet, but I think we are getting along fine. Perhaps we just have a better understanding of each other now. We did get off on a rather bad start…sort of my fault, but well, I only feel partly bad about that, to be honest. It’s not like I was lying about my feelings or trying to ruin something I didn’t even know about. But since it’s all behind us now, no point in poking old wounds, right?> she continued.

What, Sylvia never mentioned that to me? Have they been seeing each other often? Since when? Then again…it’s not like I’m with Sylvia at all hours of the day, so it’s not like it’s impossible or anything.

I didn’t even get a chance to respond before she signed, <I also heard you are going to get officially married. Congratulations, by the way.>

My heart sank slightly at the ease and calmness with which she said that. It’s not as if I felt shameful or was keeping it a secret on purpose or anything; I just hadn’t told that many people or made an open declaration. I know, almost for a fact, that there are some bitter feelings lingering in her heart or head about it. But maybe I was completely wrong; she doesn’t seem to be the least bit bothered by it.

Cerila smiled softly at me and signed, <Really, I am happy for the two of you, believe it or not. It’s not like I don’t understand where things are, I mean, you have Mila as well. She’s obviously the most important. Even if it were me in Sylvia’s place, I know that one day I’ll grow old and die, and so would our children long before you even get a speck of grey in your hair. I wouldn’t expect or want you to live a lonely, miserable life for my sake after I’m gone. Honestly, there is some relief to knowing who you’d be with before that day ever came. I could live and die knowing I could trust Sylvia with everything. She just loves you that much.>

<I…I see…> I managed to sign.

Cerila hopped slightly on the branch as if she remembered something and signed, <Oh, but if you start becoming a dishonest man and begin to marry a bunch of women, I did promise Sylvia that I would help chain you to a basement somewhere, so just be certain that we are at least of the same mind in regards to that. She suggested killing the others, but that would be problematic, so we opted for this resolution instead, just in case you are wondering.>

…

“You know, Padraic may be on to something about the dangerous women theory…” Kronos muttered.

<I’ll keep that in mind for the furture…just the two of you then…not like I planned or want anymore than that anyway…>

Cerila’s eyes widened as she smiled from ear to ear. It was indeed a beautiful smile. I’m not sure how she’s swept me along like this. But perhaps that’s destined for me at this point. It hadn’t been long since my birthday, and the tasks we had set for each other, and it seems I was the one lagging behind. But it’s also clear I wasn’t the only one who's changed significantly recently.

<So, that’s how it’s going to be…. Good, then this makes it a lot easier. Just so you know, I already agonized a lot about this and thought it through for days, and I even cried a lot. So if you try to stop me, I may push you off this tree.> she warned as she fiddled with her neck.

She took off her choker carefully and let it rest in her hands before giving it one final look and forcing it into mine. <Cerila, wa—>

She clasped my hands shut and, for a moment, stared at me with a deathly seriousness in her eyes before sitting back as she signed, <No, no waiting. This is my most treasured item. It truly means the world to me. A gift I will never forget for as long as I live. But it's also marred in loss and given with muddied intentions. So… one day, when you are ready, and I return, you can give it back to me if you still feel this way. And you can do it the right way this time.>

<I—I understand. But I want you to know that I really do—>

Cerila shut my hands again and shook her head before signing, <If you say you love me now, I really am going to send you to Grandpa. It took me this long to harden my resolve, and those words would honestly crush it to pieces. I’d rather not go back with red eyes and snot everywhere.>

<Okay…then that’s what I’ll do. I want you to know, though, I really am sorry it took me this long. And about how things turned out the way that they did.> I signed honestly.

<I know, so don’t bring it up again. It’s not like you chose for all of this to happen the way that it did. We can only take it one step at a time and look forward to the future.> She signed with a wave.

…

<So…you are leaving then. When?> I asked.

<Sometime after we get back, the visions are slowly consuming me at this point. It’s something I know I need to do. So if I go any later, I may not be able to get a ship to The Dunes to make it to Khiz safely if there is an active war. And I might break and let you convince me to stay. I can’t have that and let this turn into a nightmare that eats away at me for my entire life.> She signed wistfully.

<You know, I finally decided to do something like this, but you really gave it to me one-sided before I could even get a word out. I feel a little cheated.> I signed playfully.

Cerila giggled as she shrugged and signed, <Yeah? Well, life isn’t fair, so suck it up, I guess? Should have been faster.>

I was going to retort back but I didn’t get a chance. Cerila acted a hair faster than I, and that meant she was at least able to grab the branch above. Our faith and trust in each other may have grown some, but the branch below us, not so much.

I swiped at the air, trying to grab the one above me, but only caught air that soon left my lungs as I hit the one below me. But that was the limit of my suffering as my gravity shifted and I fell “gracefully” back down to the forest floor.

I just lay in the wet grass as Cerila stood over me with a grin and signed, <Is this a sign that the universe is punishing you and vindicating me?>

<Yeah, the universe really does enjoy punishing me thoroughly.>