The Survivor Becomes a Dungeon

Reyvyre POV

The winds howled around Reyvyre with every swing of Reonim's greatsword; despite the heavy, repeated impacts against her barrier of ice, she felt that she could withstand the onslaught for a good while longer.

Reyvyre and Reonim had been training for the better half of the day, properly testing the limits of their mana hearts and Reyvyre's mana rings. By now, they were measuring the extent of Reonim's endurance as he actively maintained his stone-skin barrier, as well as imbuing his blade with his wind magic, all while actively attacking a hard target without stopping.

Suffice it to say, despite having expended a considerable amount of mana with all the other training they did today, he managed to already exceed his previous limits while putting out greater effects by a good two minutes. While Reonim was already showing signs of tiring, Reyvyre couldn't wait to see how he fairs next time when he's at full strength instead of when he's already exhausted. 'Alright, Reonim, that's enough. You performed wonderfully today.' She thought to him through their bond, knowing audible words wouldn't reach him with all the wind he was throwing around.

With that, Reonim stopped on the backswing of his next strike, relaxing as he stabbed his blade into the ground with a huff and a satisfied grin. "How was that? I lost track of time, but that felt longer than usual, no?" He asked excitedly, watching as Reyvyre dispelled her ice barrier.

Reyvyre made her way over, reaching up and patting his arm with a proud smile on her face, noting how he still radiated heat from his muscles despite how extra chilly their immediate area was thanks to their training. "Yes, you managed to go past your previous limit of five minutes while exerting everything at once. Though I suspect you might be able to do even more than that, we'll test you again when you're better rested." She enthused proudly as she pulled away, noting all the frost that had built up in the small clearing around them.

Reonim flashed a cheery smile despite his exhaustion, lifting and sheathing his blade when he felt a tapping on his leg. Turning to look, he spotted a particularly buff-looking squirrel trying to get his attention. At that moment, he recognized that they shared a bond through Vitmori and thus took a knee and held out his hand for the squirrel, at which the squirrel climbed on as Reonim stood up once more. The squirrel chattered and squeaked at him, and though it took a moment, he understood the gist as he looked over at Reyvyre. "Hey, this squirrel wants us to follow it. Apparently, there's someone hurt nearby."

Reyvyre looked mildly surprised by that comment, but when she looked at the squirrel in question, she understood how and why a squirrel would be talking to Reonim. "Very well, let's see what we can do to help." She said as Reonim set the squirrel back down on the ground. The squirrel then scampered off towards the treeline, making sure not to go too fast so as to not lose the duo.

It only took around a minute of walking, but once they rounded some brush they spotted and recognized Rita sprawled out in the tall grass along with a small array of squirrels and birds looking her over before they scampered and fluttered away to give Reyvyre room as she hurried over to check on the half-elf birdkin. Looking Rita over, Reyvyre noted a bleeding gash on the side of her head, which didn't bleed nearly as much as a head wound should have. Once Reyvyre touched Rita, she quickly realized that her skin was very cold to the touch, but Reyvyre could sense she was still alive, thankfully enough.

Working quickly, Reyvyre pulled a healing potion from her bag, uncorking it as she poured a little bit of the potion over the head wound and then carefully went about making Rita drink down the rest. Pulling back, Reyvyre then pulled off her robes as she looked at Reonim. "She's cold to the touch, I need you to pick her up and hold her close to your chest." She ordered as she then draped her robes around Rita.

"W-wha... O-okay." He responded, not entirely sure why he was being told to do this, but not doubting her intuition as he carefully scooped Rita up, holding the comparatively small woman close to him as her head laid against his chest, her wings hanging limply behind her, but not dragging on the floor thanks to Reonim's height. Despite only following orders, he could feel himself heat up more out of mild embarrassment due to the sheer fact he's had little experience with women beyond interacting professionally with maids, warriors, adventurers, or soldiers.

Reyvyre paid no mind to Reonim's current emotional state, instead focusing on Rita as she reached out and placed a hand on her back, using what she knew of life magic to stimulate Rita's mana and boost the effects of the potion that was used on her. Once she was satisfied that there was nothing else that could be done to improve her current state, she turned her attention to the squirrels and birds around them. "Does anyone here know what happened to her?" She asked curiously.

In response, the birds and squirrels chattered among themselves before a different squirrel scampered over, getting on a low branch close to Reyvyre. It chattered out an explanation of what they collectively knew. How they were watching their training, enduring the icy gales of wind that were created while Reonim was striking at Reyvyre's barrier, and how after one of these bursts of winds they noticed Rita fall out of the sky and crash land.

Reyvyre sighed softly as she pinched the bridge of her nose before nodding in understanding. "I see. Thank you very much for the information." She then looked among the others and lowered her head for a moment. "Thank you for looking after her." With that, a number of squawks, squeaks, and chattering were heard as most of the birds and squirrels dispersed, though a few lingered around. Reyvyre turned to look at Reonim and gestured for him to follow. "Looks like we accidentally knocked her out of the air while we were training. Here, I thought we went far away enough from the Haven to avoid that." She considered with a soft sigh. "Let's move away from here and set up a fireplace, I don't want to walk around too much with her still recovering like this."

Reonim nods intently, following after Reyvyre while carefully adjusting his grip on Rita, being very mindful of where his hands were as well as making sure not to let her wings touch the floor. "Is she going to be okay?" He asked curiously as they walked along.

Reyvyre nodded after a moment. "She was knocked unconscious after hitting her head on a tree branch if the splinters are anything to go by. But between the potion, her own mana, and the healing magic; it's only a matter of time before she wakes up. It could have been worse, but thanks to her being so cold, she didn't lose nearly as much blood as she could have." They walked for a while more until the air warmed up thanks to the distance they had put between themselves and from where they had been training. "Alright, sit here and keep holding onto her, I'm gonna get a fire going and let Vitmori know what happened." She explained as she started gathering wood for the fire. Not bothering with any sort of kindling or even stones as she went about piling old branches together near Reonim. Holding her hands out, she used earth magic to create a raised ring of dirt around the wood before igniting it with a spark of fire magic.

Reonim, for his part, had to take a minute to figure out how to sit down. Carefully shifting Rita around as he brought his arm around her wings and gently closed them to her back before slowly lowering himself down to a seated position as he tried hard not to jostle the young mage around.

This time, Reyvyre seemed to notice how extra careful he seemed to be handling Rita, looking on curiously before flashing a kind smile. "You okay over there, big guy?" She asked, settling down on the dirt across the fire from him as she let herself relax.

Reonim blinked with confusion, looking over at Reyvyre as he still cradled Rita, not having set her down in his lap at this point since he was instructed to hold her to his chest. "Yes, she's very light, so I can probably hold her for a very long time."

Reyvyre just shook her head, looking vaguely amused before speaking up once more. "That's not what I meant... Never mind, you're doing great." She offered kindly before closing her eyes. "Give me a bit, I'm gonna reach out to Vitmori." After a grunt of confirmation from Reonim, she focused fully on the bond with Vitmori.

She could sense he was a little busy at first, but after a few seconds, she could feel him reach out through the bond and make the connection. 'Hey there, Reyvyre, everything alright?'

'Yes and no.' She admitted before continuing. 'Reonim and I were sparring deep in the woods, making sure to keep ourselves isolated so nobody got hurt. Well, somehow, it seems we managed to knock Rita out of the air, which caused her to crash land and knock herself out.'

She could sense a spike of alarm from him, though he seemed to calm himself as he responded. 'So I take that you've already stabilized her to the best of your ability. Is there anything you need me to do?'

Reyvyre smiled to herself, appreciating the trust he had in her. 'Yes, Vitmori, she's stable now. I just wanted to make sure you were aware of the situation. We're just waiting for her to wake up.'

She felt him thinking a little while longer before responding. 'Alright, let me know when she wakes up, I want to make sure she doesn't have a concussion.'

She could understand the word he said, but she didn't really know what he meant by it. 'A concussion? What's that?' She asked, hoping he would clarify.

'You... You don't know what a concussion is?' He asked after several moments of silence, and when she came up blank, he seemed to consider it some more before continuing. 'It's a type of condition that happens after a serious head injury. If she has one, I'll tell you more.' He explained simply. 'Is there anything else?'

'No, Vitmori, we'll let you know when she...' Though as she was thinking, she heard Rita start to stir in Reonim's arms. 'Ah, she's up now.'

'Alright, I'll be on my way over then, stay where you are.' With that, she could feel the connection wane, and her thoughts were her own once more as Reyvyre looked over to the others.

Reonim had wide eyes, not sure what to do now as he looked between Reyvyre and Rita, it's one thing to be sharing body warmth with an unconscious person who needs it, and it's a whole other thing to be cradling a woman you barely know.

Reyvyre, for her part, felt a mixture of pity and amusement for the young bullkin man as she stood and made her way around to them, gently tapping at Rita's shoulder. "Rita... Can you hear my voice? How do you feel? Does it hurt anywhere?"

At that, Rita stirred more, shivering as she snuggled into Reonim. "N-not yet... Too cold..." She mumbled under her breath.

This only caused Reonim to stiffen more as he hesitated to even breathe now that Rita was at least half awake. Reyvyre couldn't help but chuckle a little bit at his expense but doubled down on her efforts as she tried to wake Rita properly, shaking her shoulder as she spoke out. "Rita, you need to wake up now. You suffered a blast from a very powerful combo of ice and wind magic and crashed. Not to mention you're making Reonim heat up more than he needs to, to warm you up." She mused while pulling away once more.

Rita's eyes fluttered open once Reyvyre said all that, her eyes darting around curiously before looking up to meet Reonim's eyes, her cheeks starting to heat up as she quickly realized what she had been snuggling into. "H-hey..."

Reonim swallowed anxiously but was at least polite enough to respond. "Hey..."

Reyvyre smiled, looking between the two youngsters as she chuckled a bit. "Oh, look at that. It seems Rita managed to warm up nicely. Go ahead and set her down, Reonim." She mused as she made her way around the fire and settled down again.

Reonim obliged, carefully maneuvering Rita around to set her down while Rita helped herself do the same, attempting to flare her wings before realizing she had been wrapped up in some robes. All in all, she looked very confused, still trying her best to remember everything that happened. "Um... Y-you said I crashed, right? W-why... Um... Uh..."

Reyvyre piped up as she tilted her head a little while looking Rita over. "Your body was also freezing, cold to the touch. Reonim here is a great heat source, so between him, my robes, and the fire, we helped you warm up. Oh, and as for your injuries, it wasn't anything a potion and some life magic couldn't handle." She explained helpfully.

"I see... Thanks." Rita replied slowly, gently rubbing her head where the gash had been. Blinking a few more times, it looked as if she was still waking up as she glanced between Reonim and Reyvyre. "Ah! That's right." She exclaimed suddenly before addressing Reyvyre. "I came to look for you, I need your advice, and perhaps some tutoring if it isn't too much trouble."

Reyvyre wasn't expecting that but smiled kindly as she nodded a bit. "Well, it's been a century since I've actively taught magic to another mage, but... Well, no, that's a lie, I did teach Vitmori some of the basics the other day, and I'll likely keep teaching him more." She shrugged a bit before regarding Rita. "I'd be happy to offer any assistance or advice you might need."

Rita nodded intently, having taken off the robe by now as she carefully folded it up before passing it over to Reonim, who quietly took it from her hands. "I'd like to learn more about dreamwalking and how to safely navigate dreams while not fully immersing myself into the viewer's perspective."

Reyvyre considered this before having a realization and offering Rita a pitying look. "So, you've reached day one of the apocalypse of Vitmori's world?" She asked knowingly, though she then considered something. "I would have thought he'd be more mindful of his memories by now."

Rita nodded intently as Reyvyre spoke. "Yes, I suppose my curiosity got the better of me after I spoke to Jack. I could tell Vitmori was an odd one, though I never expected just how right that description was. It's one thing to hear he was from a different world, but another to get to experience it." She explained with clear awe in her voice. Her expression fell as she considered what she saw. "I never thought things would get that bad. But you just called it an apocalypse, didn't you? Was it truly the end of that world?"

Reyvyre tilted her head from side to side in consideration. "Well... Do you intend on seeing the rest of his memories?"

Rita blinked at that before nodding after a moment. "Yes... Despite the harrowing experience I witnessed, I would like to see how things go."

Reyvyre smiled at that before nodding her head. "Then, all I have to say to that is..." She brought a finger to her own lips and made a soft shushing sound. "Spoilers." She mused kindly before chuckling a bit. "But, in regard to your request, I'll be happy to teach you more about dreamwalking tonight if you're up for it."

“Up for what?” Vitmori asked, startling everyone there as they turned to see him come into view as he passed through some brush.

It was vaguely unnerving, to say the least, at his sudden appearance. Reyvyre knew just what his body could theoretically be capable of and what he was capable of before even having magic. But considering he likely came from the mountain when he told her he was on the way, and now here he was, looking only mildly disheveled and otherwise fine and not out of breath. Well, the idea of it all only stoked her ego at how well her creation was performing. “Dreamwalking practice.” Reyvyre said with a kind smile as she regarded him. “Rita recently began walking your memories and wanted to know how to do so more safely.”

“Safely? Are there risks and dangers to such things?” Vitmori asked curiously, looking genuinely concerned by the notion as he walked over towards Rita and began looking her over with a vague intensity.

“As with all things with magic, it all depends on the will of the user, as well as a number of other parts that come with understanding and experience.” Reyvyre readily explained. “Dreamwalking poses quite a few risks, especially for those just learning, but it can harm even the most experienced of dreamwalkers. There are levels to dreamwalking, and the first and easiest to achieve is by placing yourself directly in the place of the dreamer and experiencing what they experience firsthand.”

“I see…” Vitmori murmured as he took a knee. “Rita, please look into my eyes.” He instructed before speaking up once more. “By the way, you’ve been calling it dreamwalking this whole time, but isn’t this more like some kind of memory magic?” He asked while continuing his examination of Rita.

“Of course, but as I’m sure even you know, dreams are just memories mixed with imagination viewed through the eyes of a drunk.” She mused almost mischievously. “Or something like that anyways. Another reason it's called dreamwalking, as it is a form of magic that can be willfully done while sleeping and can be used for many things beyond wandering the memories of another.”

Vitmori hummed in consideration before pulling away from Rita and offering a smile. “It looks like you’re gonna be fine.” He mentioned as he stood and sat by the fire between Reonim and Reyvyre, looking among everyone there. “So why the sudden interest in dreamwalking?”

Reyvyre gestured to Rita. “It seems she’s been exploring your memories while using the most direct form of dreamwalking, the trouble is that she’s reached the day… Well…” Reyvyre hesitated, scratching her cheek as she glanced over to Vitmori. “The day when things started falling apart.”

Vitmori looked… Well, it was difficult for Reyvyre to place his expression, but it was a mix of many things. He offered a simple nod before looking over to Rita. “I’m sorry you had to see that.” He said before looking to Reyvyre. “I actually wanted to ask you about that… Just about everyone with a mana ring has seen my memories, though even Zasutir with just a mana heart has seen at least some of my memories... I would like for you to teach me how to prevent it.” He asked with a rather heavy heart. “As I’m sure you and a few others know, I’ve seen terrible things, and I’ve done even worse things to others that I wouldn’t wish to be in the minds and memories of my worst enemies. So before the children in my care become powerful enough to access my memories, I want to be sure I can keep them from it so that I don’t burden them with those images.”

Reyvyre knew exactly what he was talking about, turning to regard Rita before looking to Vitmori once more. “Of course, Vitmori, I understand. I shall do my best to teach you. If it’s okay with you, do you mind waiting until tonight before we start?”

Vitmori offered a small smile and nodded. “Sure, I don’t mind.” He then looked over to Rita curiously. “If you still want to learn about my past, despite what I just said… Well, you’re a grown woman, I won’t stop you if you’re truly interested.”

Rita blinked with surprise but nodded slowly. It was clear to Reyvyre that her curiosity only grew more intense after hearing what he had to say. She couldn’t blame her, but that only meant she needed to make sure to train Rita properly before she started venturing too far into his memories on her own.