The City of Ionia

It took me a bit to get up, but I managed. I grabbed the clothes behind me and gave them a good look. A white collared shirt with a singular button at the top. What the hell? Was this the trending fashion?

On top of that, it was short-sleeved. Whatever, I guess. I picked up the other piece, which was a black skirt. Looking back at it, it was almost the exact thing Harley wore. But instead of white and black, it was a pink shirt with a white skirt.

Seriously? I didn’t wear this type of stuff. But I did want to change since I felt so yucky from sweat. It’s not like I couldn’t handle wearing the same thing, but changing into fresh clothing is like jumping into a lake on a scorching day. It feels otherworldly.

I put on the clothes, gagging at myself. This was so embarrassing. My legs were exposed, and the marks on my arms were free. It felt revealing.

Thankfully, the skirt was a bit on the longer side. I still felt naked, though. After hesitating, I opened the zipper and stepped outside.

Harley cupped her hands in front of her mouth, squealing. “My god, you look so adorable!”

“No.”

She circled around me, checking the outfit from all angles. “This is the perfect look! Now, the only thing to fix is your bedridden hair.”

“I prefer my style of clothing.”

“Let’s not do that. It’s good to step away from your comfort zone and experiment with different things. Who knows, you might find something you like better,” she said while brushing off my shoulder.

I had no answer for her. Instead, I looked around the area. There were a decent number of tents, some bigger than others. People seemed incredibly friendly with each other. They were laughing, drinking, eating. Whatever they did, they enjoyed it to the fullest.

The more I looked around, the more I realized how empty this place was. Not one shop or restaurant was here. Grass and trees replaced roads and buildings. This couldn’t possibly be a town.

I interrupted Harley’s mumbling by asking: “Where am I?”

She stopped circling me as if I were a good luck charm. “The Bariac Cult campgrounds. You can ask the logistics of it to Ruby.”

A cult? Don’t tell me—

“Are you going to use me as a sacrifice?!”

“Good, you finally guessed it. We’re gonna feed you to the dogs and stake your head,” she snickered as if she were the devil.

I looked around, plotting an escape. Maybe I could outrun them? Definitely not. In my current state, I was deadweight. Damn it, what do I do?

She looked at me, her cheeks expanding like a squirrel with a nut. But she wasn’t carrying food. It was the built-up air, or rather, laughter. She tried her best to hold it but ultimately failed.

“Are you stupid?!” She exclaimed. “There’s no way you—” She couldn’t finish her sentence. The laughing maniac continued to call me hideous names, claiming how cliche I was. I didn’t even know what that meant.

After she settled down, she took a deep sign. “Honestly, who do you think we are?”

“So, am I going to die…?”

She slapped me on the temple. “Of course not! Your idea of a cult is pretty cliche. Though some cults do wacky stuff for the ‘greater good,’ we don’t fall into that category. Like I said before, Ruby will explain what we are since I don’t feel like doing it. Anyways, I’ll show you around the area here, then take you to Ruby.”

Based on Harley's mention of Ruby, I could safely assume she had some authority around here. I could even assume she was the leader, but I couldn’t go that far.

“Wow, your necklace is so pretty. Is there a pendant?”

“U-Umm,” I scrambled to show her.

I raised the pendant so the tiny crystals could catch the sunlight and shine like stars in the night sky. A delicate half-crescent appeared to glow within as the silver chain gleamed in the light.

She was in awe, admiring the necklace she’d never seen before. I wasn’t sure how the appearance was special, but what it held was something beyond.

“What do you want for it?”

“Huh—! Not for sale.”

After using underhanded tactics to try to buy the necklace off me, Harley guided me around the campsite. The place was well organized, and not a single piece of trash was on the ground. People smiled warmly at each other as they walked by. Harley engaged in plenty of small talk, introducing me to others. A decent number of people complimented my outfit. I didn’t speak much since I wasn’t familiar with the area, but I couldn’t say that the compliments did nothing for me.

We walked towards the training ground, where a man stood beside a tree. His shoulders were broader than the tree’s trunk. He stood taller than any man I’d seen. His dirty green shirt was practically ripping through his chest.

How did he not find that uncomfortable?

“That’s Randy. He looks a bit intimidating, but he’s a gentle giant.”

“Those arms tell otherwise,” I said.

I saw Harley glancing down at my arms through the gaps in my bangs. So, I guess she noticed way before and didn’t say anything.

“Well, he’s the sweetest person you’ll meet. Besides me, of course. But ya, Randy runs the training around here. Honestly, he’s the best hand-to-hand fighter we’ve got.”

I didn’t say anything. Standing silently, I watched the supposedly “gentle giant” sharpen a sword.

So much for hand-to-hand combat.

“Alright, let’s see Ruby. She’s most likely done with her meeting. You can ask her anything about the cult there. Oh, and um, you know how I introduced you to a bunch of people earlier? If Ruby ends up knowing you by your name before you say anything, just know that the people at camp are pretty nosey and can’t keep their mouths shut.”

I nodded, still watching the man sharpen his sword. He looked so lost in thought, with the only care being himself and the weapon he held. Everything else was rendered meaningless. He was in his own world, his peaceful world.

While staring at the lost soul, my body jerked backward. “Quit going off into space.” Harley held my hand, pulling me with her. Her hands were so warm. It reminded me of Raphtalia.

Raphtalia. The dream. The promise. Everything was going to plan. So why did that happen? Why did that happen?

I was so lost—not like Randy, but in a way that made me want to get back on track. My head overflowed with thoughts—thoughts about everything—my life, Raphtalia, everything.

The man must’ve cared about his sword so much that he could get carried away with thought and still grip it. It wasn’t like his face screamed with distress. It was terrifyingly calm.

Why couldn’t I do that? Why was it that whenever my mind got heavy with thoughts, I couldn’t maintain the level of calmness that man did?

I gripped Harely’s hand even tighter.

Still walking, she turned her head around. But she didn’t say anything. She smiled with her mouth—or rather her heart. She opened it, letting me through with ease. I held onto her hand for the rest of the way. I wanted this moment to last for a bit longer.

***

“Beat it, Jeremy. You’re here all day.”

“And? What exactly are you going to do about it?”

“Are you testing me? Me? The one who knocked you out simply using the butt of a knife.”

“Sorry to tell you, but that was a fluke. It ain’t gonna happen again.”

While standing in the corner listening to Harley going back and forth with another person, I bobbed my head, looking at my surroundings. Sunlight easily penetrated the tent, making the place shine without candles. The tent was bigger than it looked from the outside. There was plenty of space to dance around without bumping into the corner of the table. Speaking of tables, straight in front of me was a woman with her elbows resting on the table, observing the bickering heads.

Her honey-toned skin paired perfectly with her brunette hair, tied in a clean bun with two loose strands dangling on the side. Her fingers were intersected as if she was thinking of something important, and her face was straight with no care.

With a deep sigh, she seemed to have enough. “Are you guys done yet?”

“Ruby, tell this woman chaser to leave.”

“Woman chaser? I’m afraid you have mistaken me for someone else. I would never stoop so low to partake in such a despicable act.”

“What are you even saying? Ruby, are you not hearing this right now.”

The woman, supposedly Ruby, dropped her hands and gave an affectionate smile. “Jeremy, you’ll also do what I say, right?”

“Without hesitation.”

“Well then, without hesitation, would you mind leaving the tent so I can have a few words with our guest? Please.” She gave a beautiful smile one couldn’t ignore.

And just like that, Jeremey dramatically bowed, apologizing to Ruby for his ruckus, and exited the tent. From the surface, their relationship seemed a bit weird. But whatever, it wasn’t anything I cared about.

Harley slammed her palms against her thighs. “I don’t understand how he only listens to you and no one else.”

“You know the reason.”

“Sure, I guess. But it still boggles me.” She looked flustered about this.

“Enough about this. Let us focus on the real reason why you both are here. Well, particularly Jill. Has Harley been a good host?”

Shrugging, I said, “I guess.” It was an unconfident but safe answer.

“That’s reassuring. And I see she used you as her personal doll.” She stared into Harley’s soul. “I told her not to do that.”

Harley chuckled nervously. “My bad. But it’s not like she hates it or anything.”

No, I did. I despised this look but was too timid to speak up.

“Why couldn’t you give her clothing similar to what she was wearing?”

“Because she didn’t look cute in it?”

“You just proved my point,” Ruby sighed with a light facepalm. “Anyways,” she fixed her hands into their original position, “Jill, I’m sure you have many questions jumbled in your head. Feel free to quarry as much as you would like to know.”

As much as I would like to know. Well, that would be:

“Everything,” I said.

“How much of everything do you want to know?”

Once again, I replied with, “Everything.” I’m pretty sure everything meant everything.

“Well then, I’ll skim through the important stuff, and after, you can ask the picky details. Currently, you are at the Bariac Cult campground. It’s not some evil cult where we do weird rituals. Our job is to fight against bandits. So, we shouldn’t even be considered a cult to begin with. Anyways, that’s all we do. We fight against bandits and ensure they don’t cause havoc on nearby civilians. That’s the basic rundown of what we are.”

Oh, so protect-against-evil type of group? Sounds really hero-ish. However, it didn’t explain everything.

“So, is this like a ‘cult of justice’ sort of speak?”

“You could say that. Bandits are common and cause harm to smaller, unprotected villages. So, whenever we get the word that a bandit camp is spotted, we prepare to raid it.”

“Yeah, it’s really epic how easily we take them down. The look on their pitiful faces when death looms over them—ahhhhhh, so perfect.”

That was the first time I saw Harley so violent. She presented as a cheery, girly girl who would snap into tears because of a chipped fingernail. Seeing her speak out about death so lightly was somewhat scary.

“So, you guys raid bandit camps?”

“The miniature ones close to civilian villages. Those are the ones that are guaranteed to target innocent people. So, our job is to light the camp up into flames before their attack rolls in,” explained Ruby.

“Sounds… interesting.”

“Tell you what,” Ruby said, “why don’t you join us? Join the Bariac Cult and live under my wing.”

“Your wing?”

She smiled broadly, almost as if she was waiting her whole life to say this. “Did I forget to mention that I’m the commander?”

She left that out. Not that I couldn’t tell or anything, but it was a good thing actually knowing who was in charge here.

“I’m not sure. I have something for myself that must be done.”

“No worries. Give it some—actually, why don’t you stay for the cookout tonight? Stay with us for a bit. There’s no point in me telling you if you can see who and what we are for yourself.”

I nodded without saying a word. I didn’t have an answer. If I joined this cult, when would I get to fulfill the promise? When would I get the chance to satisfy this drive? Well, there’s all day to ponder about it.

“Well then, I have to cut it short for today. I have another meeting shortly. You’re both dismissed.”