Gamer Girl Isekai

Vari hadn't regained consciousness in hours, not even for a moment. Aexilica had asked about this, pestered these strange, professional medical people until they'd explained to her understanding that he would not be awakening before either recovery or death. Still, she stayed beside him. She simply couldn't think of any other suitable thing she might do.

Other than wait and regret.

Fortunately, Aexilica was not left to do either alone for long. Soon enough her other allies—as well as that bizarre woman the size of Emma—entered with grave faces. A healer was with them, who looked graver still.

"We cannot cure your friend," the medical woman said sorrowfully. "I'm sorry, but he has been infected by Dread Poison. We can slow its spread, perhaps buy him days longer than he'd have otherwise had, but eventually it will eat through his vitals and he will die. It…Will not be pleasant."

Aexilica didn't feel any rush of air leaving her lungs, she was past surprising with death now.

"There's something we can do," she told them. Aexilica had no idea what that something might be, nor how they would go about doing it, but she knew it existed. It had to. She would not allow it not to, and wouldn't stop searching until she'd found out precisely what it was.

It almost came as a surprise to Aexilica when the healer nodded.

"You're right, there is a way he can be saved. One, that I know of. Have you heard of Ndinso?"

Aexilica hadn't, but this seemed to be one of those things that wasn't region-specific in terms of ignorance. Everyone else looked as lost as she was.

"Ndinso is our word for a particular plant, or specifically its leaf," the woman named Temi cut in, "it's strange. Bluish and sort of silvery, doesn't look like any plant you'll have seen before. Its properties are mysterious and remarkable. According to the stories boiling it into tea or eating it could make a person stronger, slow ageing…and heal anything."

Aexilica believed it. Even the healing powers granted by the Gods could do little, in most cases, to resist the ravages of time. If this plant could…who knew what else it could fix.

"What's the hitch?" Emma asked, glaring at the healer as if she suspected that it was the woman's fault Vari had not yet been healed. Sometimes Aexilica forgot how…prickly she was.

The healer took it on the chin though, most likely used to dealing with people in heightened emotional states, and replied calmly.

"All of our Ndinso plants were lost, used or destroyed during the civil war a generation ago. We have none here, which means that if you wish to save your friend you will need to travel elsewhere to find the means."

"Fuuuuuck!" Emma groaned, tipping her head back and clamping both hands down hard on her own face.

"We'll do it," Aexilica said at once as she lunged to her feet and swept her gaze across the group. "Right?"

"Yes," Kruger nodded, after only a moment's hesitation, then all eyes moved onto Emma. She stood there for a second, quivering.

"Yes," the girl said at last. Aexilica was genuinely surprised not to see any doubt in her face at all. "Where do we go to find it?"

Putting aside Emma's surprising steel, Aexilica realised she didn't actually know what they were signing up for. She turned to the healer, who, in turn, looked at Temi. The woman hesitated a moment before replying.

"We've mentioned the Dark Pharoah already," she said after a moment, "that is…the only one we know currently who's in possession of it."

Aexilica didn't know anything about this Dark Pharoah, but she imagined from the look on the healer's face and the name alone that he was anything but a pleasant sort to run into.

"What is he," Emma grinned, "some kind of lich?"

Temi did not say anything, and the girl's face fell instantly.

"God fucking damnit I was kidding!"

"I'm missing something here," Aexilica frowned, "what's a lich?"

Emma was pacing now, furious. "Basically uh, fuck I'm too tired for this, a really powerful wizard—magic user pretty much. I don't know how strong they are in this world but in D&D they're absolute fuckers."

"They're absolute fuckers here, too," Temi added helpfully.

"FUCK!" Emma's pacing picked up speed for a few more seconds before something else seemed to occur to her. "Wait, we don't need to actually fight him right? Why can't we just sneak in, maybe blow a few doors off their hinges for speed, and steal the plant without ever laying eyes on him?"

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That sounded good to Aexilica, very good. Kruger seemed to agree, and it was only the Temi woman speaking up that ruined their newfound high spirits.

"I won't help you with this unless you promise to kill the Dark Pharoah while we're there," she said flatly. That set a new pot of rage boiling on Emma's part.

Emma didn't say anything coherent enough for Aexilica to interpret at that, she just screamed, cried and blubbered for a few minutes until more practical heads took over the conversation and started planning their route. The conversation was progressing well enough until a new voice joined in rather unexpectedly.

"I'm coming, too." All heads turned to Vari just as he sat up, grunting, groaning, trembling. But still awake, and moving despite everything Aexilica had been told by his healers.

The most recent to treat him was by his side instantly, concern animating every inch of her body as her hands hovered just shy of him, as if torn between the instincts to examine his health and leave him the room to move in peace and comfort.

"You can't," the woman growled, "you need bed-rest if you're to—"

—"to what?" Vari snapped, "to die more slowly? No, I need to be on my feet and die as a man, if I'm to die soon. I will come with you, quicker to get the flower that way and it will give me a good death even if I don't."

Aexilica could certainly see his logic, more than just in the usual, distant way she perceived any Scurlgan logic most of the time too. She wasn't much keen on the idea of dying in a pitiful, shivering heap either. Better to die later than sooner, but if she was to go young she'd rather go with someone else's blood on her.

"He could be given the plant once we're there," Temi pointed out, "I know how to administer it. I know how to administer most things it's my…you know, the thing we all get when we're sent here? That's mine."

"I didn't get one of those," Emma added helpfully, "I just went crazy and thought everybody was fake for a while. Oh and I can warp reality with my mind."

Temi looked about as terrified to hear that as any reasonable person would be, but she did an admirable job of compartmentalising and moving on to more directly pressing matters of discussion.

"You'd still be jeapordizing the mission," Kruger frowned, "I'm sorry but—"

—"please," Vari pressed. Aexilica's breath caught in her throat. It was the first time she'd ever heard him ask for anything at all in such a tone. Vari didn't beg, he didn't appeal to your better nature. That he was doing so now…

He knew his end was coming, and he knew this was his only chance to decide what it would be.

"Let him come," she said without thinking. Weak as always, it seemed.

***

"Oh yeah, right there—yeah that's the spot, little m…mmmm yesssss…" Emma felt just a little bit creeped out, scratching that spot at the base of Larry's skull, but he'd given her good information about this Dark Pharoah asshole, and she'd made a promise to pay him for it. She just focused on scratching until he was satisfied and it was all over and done with.

"Holy shit, that spot's been playing up for weeks," the head grinned. It was a rare good mood on his part, Emma thought, and felt more than a little disconcerted by the fact. Larry's good moods were generally inspired by horrible misfortune in others.

"Can we cut the shit now and get onto what you promised?" Emma shot back, wanting to hurry up and get it all over with. "Dark Pharoah, what is he, how do you know of him?"

To her absolute horror, Larry grinned at that.

"Oh you're gonna get a kick out of this," he smirked, "so do you know what solipsism is?"

"...No?" Emma didn't like where this was going at all.

"Basically," Larry continued, "you were a solpisist when you first arrived here. Briefly, you know, during all your spazzy shit. Well the Dark Pharoah never got over that. He's one of Suzanne's most powerful pets. The most powerful outright, actually, since…Well…"

Emma felt herself go cold.

"Oh fuck, no, you're not saying—"

—"he's Untethered," Larry finished with a smirk.

"Fuuuuck!" Emma felt the strength drain out of her, dropped down into her chair and smacked her face right down into both palms. This was bullshit. It was cruel. She'd been hanging on by a single pubic hair this whole time and how she was supposed to take on an actually fair fight?

Or…Hang on.

"Wait, Untethered aren't necessarily that powerful to begin with right—"

—"he's been here for years."

"FUCK!"

Larry was enjoying himself, Emma could tell that much with painful clarity. As usual his vicious pleasure at her misery made everything worse. Worse enough that she found herself pacing again just to burn off some of the furious energy it inspired.

But not so bad that it kept her from noticing a few things.

"You know a fair amount about Suzanne," she said at last. "Right? You call her by name, you seem familiar with how she operates and who she's sending over…What is it, exactly, that connects you two? And what's this big game you're both on opposite sides of? Ruining lives and killing my friend over?"

Larry didn't want to answer, clearly. That was rather unfortunate and meant that he and Emma had a conflict of interests, because she didn't want to go and fight a fucking wizard without knowing everything it was possible for her to find out ahead of time.

Where was this energy a few weeks ago, Em?

She'd probably fingered it right out of herself when she should've been practicing her magic more.

Larry hesitated now, on edge, cautious. Emma could see she'd asked the right question, she pushed him harder to reinforce it.

"You're always telling me how mortal I am? Who cares if I find this out right? I'll probably just die later anyway." Emma was actually starting to suspect that Larry was deliberately vetting the information he gave her about her powers and guiding her in the wrong way to ensure she didn't live too long after helping him get back to his own realm.

Which, in fairness, she herself was hardly planning on doing—that would've been an anti-human atrocity she was pretty sure.

It was at that moment Larry crumbled, face finally laxing as, it seemed, he decided to give her the answers. Or some answers, at least. Emma would have to pay attention and make sure they weren't bullshit still.

"Alright," the head practically growled, "fine. Okay. Listen up then, I'm only going to say this once no matter how much you whine for me to repeat it after the fact. So remember it, however difficult that is for you with things that aren't attached to some bimbo's chest. Are you listening?"

Emma quickly stopped thinking about Lara Croft's chest and nodded. Larry eyed her for a moment before, at last, he seemed satisfied.

"Then the first thing you need to know is that Suzanne and I are…Kind of siblings, and kind of…exes."

Oh great. Emma was already getting turned on.