Reece sat up with a burst of strength he wasn't expecting, there's an energy flowing through his veins however that wasn't the issue. He looks at the system announcement in utter confusion about gaining a blessing!?
'What do you mean by this??' Reece's panic paints the tone of his thoughts alongside his confusion. There's an utter dread from what he could remember about his vision before passing out, whoever this mistress must've been that giant thing.
[I'm equally confused as you, usually this takes you reaching out or worshiping but I guess your family is inherently tied with this Idol?]
'Great, I wanted the Solar Idol... There goes my dreams of fire powers.' Reece's stray thoughts brought back some levity to him but his mind had every second with whoever Mistress of Shades is burnt into the back. Everything yesterday weighed on him in his heart as well...
[Well, At least you got a new skill from it!]
[Blessing of The Shadow Idol, Mistress of Shades (Ether/Technique) - Level 1
The Ichor of The Shadow Idol allows innate sorcery based around darkness, perception, and personal life-energy.
{Techniques: Shade Walking, Dark Mass}
Level Up: Gain more of her favor]
Reece raised an eyebrow before taking a deep breath for a long sigh. Moisture is felt making this air heavy as water with each breath. It struck him as odd when.... His head moved towards where his hair felt a faint breeze coming from. He shouldn't have hoped this place would've been untouched.
The front area where he met Irma had been reduced to a pile of burnt rubble with signs of the flames having caused collapse further in from old bookshelves knocked over. Those ancient shelves themselves were scarred black by heat. It was sickening to realize that ashy smell was charred wood and books.
However, another thing was weighing on him. Irma...
"It's good to see you awake yet again, Young Wolfhard." A tired voice speaks from the back as Adelbert moves forward. His eyes were never so dull in all the time Reece spent here.
"Mister Adelbert!" Reece couldn't think too deeply on those signs of weariness on the old man. He jumped to his feet from his resting spot, blankets falling to the ground as he steps up. "Is Irma okay!?"
Adelbert's eyes soften watching Reece with a weak smile moves his wrinkled and aged face. There's a missing warmth from him but that means something, right!? It gave hope to Reece seeing that from the old librarian.
"Where is-" Reece blurts out but gets hushed by the elder.
"Relax, Young Wolfhard... She's in my personal study, I'll- I'll see you to her." Adelbert's focus skipped for a moment while speaking.
That fed a seed of dread within his gut but Adelbert's reaction gave him both this feeling and hope knowing she's alive. He gives a weak nod before being led to a personal study in the library's back which he never was allowed inside beforehand. This would've been an honor a master could grant someone but this felt far from it for Reece.
That study greeted him with the smell of old books and countless candles from decades ago etched into the room's surfaces. He looked around for a mere moment to see antiques older than even his true mental age in all honesty but then his vision snapped towards a makeshift bed. Irma laid there in a condition which strangled Reece's heart.
Irma had a bandage wrapped around the right side of her head and more pressing was those stains on them. His gut knew what that meant before turning towards Adelbert with an expression which he cannot stop from looking like he's pleading at the old man. He wants his observation to be wrong about this for once.
"I'm afraid that your eyes never lie to you, It is what you feared so deeply..." Adelbert speaks as if knowing exactly what he's pleading.
Reece closed his eyes for a moment overwhelmed by cursing thoughts at himself. Pictures of every statue he needed to break scratch at his mind.
"Wolfy...?" Irma's voice was weak but cut through the silent room.
Reece snaps back to reality before a pained smile forms on his face. He steps forward with soft steps as if moving roughly could break Irma in such a fragile state, such fear eats away at his guts. A horrible feeling that's been spiraling throughout him since those flames burned outside his windows.
"Y-Yeah, I'm here for you, Irma." Reece's voice cracks speaking to her while his eyes try avoiding her face.
Irma holds out a hand towards Reece with clear pain in that smile she gives him. "I'm sorry, I let everything prepared for our sleepover burn up."
'I shouldn't have promised anything, how stupid could I have been?' That's when he saw it.
Irma sat up for the offered hands, so her blankets fell from her shoulders. An outpouring of emotions hits Reece's heart seeing a bandaged upper arm but no forearm. He holds Irma's hand with a strong grip holding back those tears he'd hope had dried up being mixed in the rain.
"It's okay- It's okay, We can always do it later! When you get better, just rest up until- Until then alright?" Reece chokes on his words, several times as they catch in his throat.
"Until then..." Irma's eyes stare down at her blankets with eyes that have lost much of their light.
Reece held his mouth closed as anything else could cause all this lingering strength in him to collapse. He lets go of her hand before stepping back to start walking towards the study's door. It wasn't because he wanted to but her seeing him cry would be equally awful.
He walked out into the library's collection space once again but now streams of tears on his cheeks. Adelbert's footsteps are heard behind him, so he wipes them with his shirt's sleeve.
"How... How did this happen? You were here..." He turns slightly to face Adelbert.
"My body has betrayed me for the sands of time, you don't have to forgive my weakness, Young Wolfhard." He spoke gazing down at the library's ancient floorboards.
Reece looks at this respected man he's known for years worn down by an avoidable tragedy. He began to walk away, and couldn't even bring himself to reply. Then a screen appeared before him granting some form of excited anger.
[Bounty Quest: The Four Horsemen of the Demon King
"Those who ride before their king's revival must be given justice for their sins against family and their world."
Remaining Targets: Horsemen of Plague and Conquest, Horsemen of War, Horsemen of Famine, Horsemen of Death
Reward(s): 5 Stars, Blessing of Shadow Idol's Interest]
[Oh yeah, Stars translate directly to stat points! I haven't been tracking them since gods will rarely hand them out in quests!]
'That'll be helpful if this god is feeling generous.' He moved past the makeshift bed but paused as his bag given to him rested by its foot. A hefty lift with a tired little arm pulled it onto his shoulder once again. There's no sign of rain water on it which makes him wonder about his clothes as well. 'That old man did a lot for us, I don't know if we'll ever repay him after today...'
[What do you mean?]
'Well, we're leaving today for the gnome capital.' Reece checked the contents of his bag to find long lasting food like dried meats, small jars filled with jams or pickled foods, and loaves of bread sealed in Adelbert's idol crafts. 'That old man.. No wonder why it's so much heavier...'
"I thought about convincing you to stay but you've always been an independent child, so I've given you a week of rations in case you do leave." Adelbert speaks moving past Reece.
The elderly man sat down on a chair that Reece remembered being reserved only for the master of this place. It's seen better days as the cushion's corner is lightly burnt from the night's events. His eyes look out where so much was lost, all those probable decades in maintaining gone in a few hours at best.
"Thank you... I... I don't know how I'll repay you, Master Adelbert." Reece says as he closes his bag with his eyes locked on it.
"March onward to your potential, Young Wolfhard, That's all I can ask from you." Adelbert speaks with his eyes closed as they've grown heavy.
Reece nods to Master Adelbert before taking steps away from the man who's more than earned some rest. Now more than ever has affirmed what's next in his heart despite being a thorny path for him.
[Are you about leaving, Reece?]
'Yeah, If I stay here then that burning knight can just come back if it learns I'm alive since only Helma spared us.' Reece thinks as he steps around burnt wood planks before his feet finally reach that soft muddy ground.
Around the library stood a camp full of survivors saved by the rain, from those tents he could see inside were people in similar condition to Irma. Bandaged and weak from the ordeal... He moves past them trying to not get weighed down but a burning heart always consumes more than it should.