Bastard Homunculus: Reborn in the Corpse Pit

"Finally, we're back," Tacitus sighed in relief, as The Irregulars stepped into the hidden grove where their hideout was located.

It was the following night, around 8 PM. The Teleport Spells had burnt out sooner than Tacitus had estimated, and the group were left with over fifteen kilometers to cover on foot.

They were also attacked by a group of bandits along the way, much to the misfortune of the bandits. Being tired and moody from the fatigue and traveling, The Irregulars weren't in a particularly merciful state of mind.

And now, by the time they reached their hideout, most of them were at their physical and mental limit, completely and utterly drained of all energy.

"We better not have anything planned for a while after this, I need a nice, long break," Remarked Lexia with a wide yawn, slight dark circles under her eyes.

"I like the sound of that...plus, we need time to train with our new weapons. I didn't really get to test out my gauntlets against that Knight, since I mostly attacked her from a distance with my explosions...and those bandits we fought earlier today were pretty weak, I wouldn't even call them a challenge," Replied Celia, stretching her arms up as she stifled a yawn.

"We can discuss what we should do next tomorrow, we're all exhausted, so let's get some rest for tonight," Suggested Aster, as they approached the hideout.

"I'm way ahead of you."

"I certainly have no objections to that."

The group then headed into the building, before each making their way to their respective rooms, all of them eager to sleep on their beds again...even though it had been less than forty-eight hours since they were last here, so much had happened during this last outing that it felt like it had been much longer than it actually had been.

Raven stepped into his room and shut the door, before changing into more comfortable clothes and flopping onto the bed with a sigh, staring up at the ceiling as he lay sprawled across the mattress.

Despite the fatigue and exhaustion that had piled up so immensely, he felt restless, wide awake and unable to sleep...he pulled the blanket over his body and closed his eyes, but he couldn't doze off.

After a few minutes of tossing and turning, he let out a mutter and kicked the blanket off, before getting out of bed with a slight huff.

He quietly opened the door, not wanting to wake any of the others, before making his way out and heading out the front entrance, stepping out onto the grassy lawn outside before turning his gaze to his left as he picked up a familiar scent.

"I take it you couldn't sleep either?" Celia greeted him with a wry smile.

"Yeah...I'm really tired, but my thoughts kept racing and I couldn't relax," He replied with a sigh.

"Huh, couldn't you use your Drowse Spell to put yourself to sleep though?" She pointed out, as he took a seat on the grass beside her.

"I could have, except...I didn't think of that," He responded sheepishly.

"So, what's on your mind? In my case, it's our fight against the Undead King...I feel like I only got in the way, my explosions had no effect on him, and I was useless when it came to close range combat, I was way too slow," She remarked with a sigh.

"No, you didn't get in the way at all...in fact, having you to back me up really helped. I mean, it's not like any of my attacks were particularly effective either, and I would've taken a hell of a lot more damage if it wasn't for you. Still, I know what you mean...logically, I know that he was an opponent that I couldn't have done much against regardless, but even so, it's still frustrating," Said Raven with a grimace.

"Yeah, I feel the same way. Also, thank you...I definitely would've died if you hadn't been there to heal me. I owe you one," She replied with a grateful, warm smile, as she rested her shoulder against Raven's.

"U-uh, you're welcome...don't mention it," He muttered awkwardly, his face starting to heat up as he noticed her hand trailing towards his...

"Oh, hey, you two. Couldn't sleep either, huh?" Suddenly came a voice from the doorway, startling the pair.

"H-hey, big bro, what's up?" Responded Celia, averting her gaze slightly as she tried to play it cool.

"I, uh, take it you had trouble sleeping too?" Added Raven slightly awkwardly, cringing as his voice cracked a bit.

"Huh? No, not that...it's just, it's been a while since I was this exhausted, and I want to savor it. That feeling when my limbs get heavier and my vision darkens and gets blurry, I really like it," He grinned, before letting out a wide, long yawn.

"That's, uh...that's very you, I guess," Replied Raven in bemusement.

"So, what were you guys talking about?" He responded, as he joined them on the grass.

"We were just ruminating in our mutual frustration at how our fight against the Undead King went," Sighed Celia, as she tore up a few blades of grass and tossed them into the air, watching as the wind blew them away.

"Man, I wish I could've fought him too...I wonder what it would have felt like to take a hit from something with so much brute strength?" Mused Colt curiously.

"You probably would've died," Responded Raven dryly.

"Maybe, but that's a part of the thrill."

"Why are you like this?" Sighed Celia in exasperation.

"Has he always been like this?" Inquired Raven with a bemused look on his face.

"No, I'm pretty sure he wasn't like this when we were kids, children aren't-...," Began Celia with a laugh, before trailing off and pausing for a moment, her eyes widening slightly as she added shakily, "W-wait...come to think of it, when we were younger, there were times where he would tease and bully me, and when I'd snap and hit back, he'd smile and laugh. W-was that-...o-oh, God. Ew...ew, ew, ew!"

"Dude...that's seriously messed up," Remarked Raven, giving Colt a judgemental look.

"N-no, wait, I-I wasn't-...o-okay, while that is technically true, it's not like that! In my defense, I was, like, seven or eight when I started doing that, I was just a kid! It's not like I understood what I was doing, I was just following my impulses or whatever, like all kids do!" Colt defended himself.

"Yeah, I don't know about that...my sister and I never did anything so creepy," Responded Raven dryly.

...

...

A few days later...

"Alright, it's been almost a week since we got back from the Quartz Ruins, and I've been putting a lot of thought into what we should do next. And I came to the conclusion that, from here on, we should work in permanent pairs. The pairs we ended up splitting into in the ruins seemed to be compatible, so we'll go with those pairings, if there are no objections," Suggested Aster, looking around at the others.

"Hm, I suppose that's not a bad idea...the more each of us works with one particular person, the better we'll get at coordinating and fighting as a pair. That said, the suggestion that I'm compatible with this pervert isn't the most pleasant notion," Frowned Lexia, as she narrowed her gaze at Colt.

"Aw, you say that, but I bet you're super happy about it on the inside, aren't you?" Grinned Colt teasingly.

"Tch, I'd cut out your tongue, but knowing you, that'd be more like a reward. Seriously, do I have to be paired with him?" Grumbled Lexia apprehensively.

"Well, with you two in particular, I thought I'd let your pair handle our more covert undertakings, both of you are highly skilled as Assassins, we should take full advantage of that...plus, any of the rest of us would only get in the way on such missions, after all, since our Combat Templates aren't as suited for covert tasks," Explained Aster objectively.

"Tch, I guess that makes sense...doesn't mean I have to be happy about it, though."

"I don't like that I'm stuck in a pair with you, though...you always work me way too hard, it's exhausting," Sighed Tacitus dryly.

"That's part of the reason why we're paired up...you'll be able to get away with slacking off if you're paired with one of the others, but I won't be so lenient," Replied Aster with a slight smirk.

"Damn it..."

"Alright, with that settled, here's our next move...we need more training. I suggest that each pair head out into the forest together to train, it'll be a good opportunity for those of us who got new weapons to get accustomed to those weapons, as well as to get more used to fighting alongside your assigned partner," Pointed out Aster.

"Must be nice, I didn't get a new weapon," Huffed Lexia saltily.

"If it makes you feel any better, I didn't either," Spoke up Raven sympathetically.

"Whatever, you have, like, a hundred abilities, you don't need a new weapon. Not to mention, you don't have any proficiency with weapons anyway," She muttered in response.

"Guess I can't argue with that..."