ROUGH DRAFT- Thousand Hands of Relief 1.1

Reminder, this has NOT been rewritten by me. You are reading the ghost writer's work based on my outline, which I will 100% rewrite later. Expect things to sound a lot more like *me* later on.

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Rinzer, a tough young man born and raised in the streets of South Scroungetown, was quickly getting tired of dusty rooms and security Golems. He and his partner had been exploring the Archives of Farrazir for a week straight. The Archives of Farrazir, a large complex hidden within the east Odarri Mountains, had only recently been rediscovered and reopened. It had once been the home to an ancient wizard, long ago during the age of heroes before Karnalle’s founding.

Rinzer and his partner had gone into the Archives with the hopes of finding some kind of treasure. But so far, all they’d found were old scrolls, defunct magical artifacts, and other odds and ends. And the Golems, which were particularly getting on his nerves. As tough as his gauntlets were, punching magically reinforced metal was never a fun time and had grown very old, very fast.

At his side, Nellie Holcott was also tired of dealing with them. Yet every day the young thief, who'd been at his side for many a year, delved into the dungeon with him. Together, they went from room to room searching for something to fill their magical bags. They grabbed anything that looked slightly valuable, anything that might be worth even a few pieces of gold.

They’d mostly found small trinkets, jewelry and loose gems, which took up hardly any space and could be gifted or sold. Assuming none of them were enchanted. Magic books and spell scrolls were scattered throughout the dungeon, some of them still in decent condition. There was sure to be a scholar somewhere who’d be interested. A few small statues had made their way into the bags of holding, too. They’d found a room dedicated solely to ingredients and materials and taken everything that looked salvageable. Another room was filled with potions and potion making tools. The tools went into the bags, as well as any potion bottles that were still intact. They’d also found a tall staff, made of gnarled wood. It could have been just a walking stick, or it could have been magical. So, into the bag it went.

And when the day was done, they left and returned to the camp they’d set up in the mountains. They’d eat around the fire together and then slept in separate tents. When the morning came, they’d eat breakfast and gear up, then head back. And they’d keep going back, again and again until they’d picked the dungeon clean. It was a routine they were both well familiar with and they had settled into it easily.

They had explored many such places during their adventures. Rinzer was the type of adventurer who liked helping people with their problems, finding lost items or destroying monsters. But Nellie insisted on doing proper dungeon crawls whenever possible. He relented often enough, knowing the profit could be put to good use. That, and she’d do it with or without him, and he wouldn’t let any harm come to her to so long as he drew breath.

It was rough work, and incredibly strenuous, but Rinzer could get through it with a smile whenever he remembered what it was all for.

Now, with the start of a new day, he and Nellie were making their way back through the dungeon. They were heading back to the furthest depths they'd reached thus far, eager to see what they could find. Their torches supplemented the mostly fading light of the magical crystal implements placed sporadically along the walls. It was just enough light for them to see where they were putting their feet. Despite the potential presence of Golems, they were having a small conversation. Their hushed voices filled the silence around them as they walked.

“Even if we don’t clear the dungeon today, we should pack up and head back to town tomorrow,” Nellie said, already prepared for his response. “We only have so many bags of holding, and they can’t carry much more.”

“No, we can’t leave yet!” Rinzer predictably disputed her comment. Nellie held in a sigh as he continued. “It’ll be fine, we can just push ourselves a little harder. There’s got to be something special here. I’ll carry extra if I have to.” Even as he said this, he felt dizzy. He immediately reached for the wall, leaning his shoulder against it. He played it off by patting around as if checking for a secret door.

Watching him closely, Nellie didn’t for a second believe his act. But she ignored it, for the moment, and instead said, “I don’t care, Rinzer. We have more than enough. Something in these bags has to be worth something. Besides, we’re running low on supplies.”

“We could try eating the Golems,” Rinzer joked and, with the dizziness gone now, pushed away from the wall.

“You’re so stupid, Rinzer,” Nellie said, her voice hard, and shook her head. But seconds later, her anger disappeared, and she couldn’t help but laugh. Rinzer laughed with her, relieved that his little act seemingly worked. They continued on after that, ceasing their conversation for the moment, and soon reached a hallway with doors on each side, where they’d stopped yesterday.

Nellie looked at both doors before facing him. “We each take one and see what’s inside. Scavenge whatever we can find. And fit.”

In front of her, Rinzer fidgeted slightly. He already knew she wasn’t going to like what he was about to say. But he said it anyway. “We don’t need to check either of them.”

Nellie instantly knew where was he going with this. She’d seen it before, on previous adventures. Crossing her arms, she hid her irritation behind a fake smile. “And why is that?” Rinzer remained silent in response to her sarcasm, so she went on. “Did you, oh, I don’t know, possibly sneak in last night? Without me? And possibly clear the hallway yourself? Again, without me?”

Shrugging, Rinzer suggested, “I couldn’t sleep.”

Nellie groaned and hit his shoulder, though it doesn’t even rock him. “No wonder you’re so tired!”

“I’m not tired,” Rinzer weakly protested. But lying had never been his strong suit and she saw right through it.

“Not tired?” Nellie moved closer to him and pointed her finger up at him. “You’re so tired, you almost fell earlier! Yeah, I saw that. Do you know how dangerous that is? What if you fell and I had to go looking for you? Or worse, what if you collapsed during a fight?” As if her words were a signal to activate, multiple spots in the wall opened up and out stepped pseudo mechanical Golems. Both of them turned at the sudden sounds and stared as the Golems began surrounding them.

Nellie looked at them all, one after the other, before looking at Rinzer accusingly. “I thought you cleared this place out?”

“I thought I did,” Rinzer replied, also looking at them. “I must’ve been too quiet to activate them.”

“Are you trying to blame this on me?” Nellie asked, huffing.

Rinzer shrugged, brushing off her accusation with a smile. “You said it, not me.” He moved past her before she responded but he heard her huff again behind him. Getting into the familiar boxing stance, he advanced towards the nearest Golem. He didn’t give it the chance to react, throwing a punch at it as soon as it was within arms-length. That was the start of the fight and Nellie and the Golems both jumped into action.

They'd gotten used to fighting these, and not just from that particular dungeon. This wasn't their first time exploring the ruins of some old wizard, and security Golems were common enough. Their weaknesses were all the same and both adventurers knew the quickest ways to destroy them. In just a few minutes, there’s only two of them left.

One of the three readied a magical laser beam and Rinzer ducked beneath it, before advancing with an energy infused uppercut. It didn’t break the Golem like he was going for but instead cracked it heavily. It was momentarily stunned, and he used the moment to break out one of his signature Arts.

Rinzer was self-taught, learned everything he knew about fighting on the streets, so his main techniques were all fairly straightforward and simple. Buster Fist is just a normal punch but with more destructive power. This time his punch shattered the core serving as its eye. He stepped away from the destroyed Golem and saw another one, readying its own laser to shoot him from some distance away. Rinzer only had seconds to react, but a quick glance elsewhere told him that Nellie had disappeared. Despite the situation, he smiled confidently. He knew she has things under control.

Sure enough, she pounced on the Golem from the shadows. She was brandishing a dagger, glowing bright purple, in her hand. Clinging to its back with her one free hand and both legs, she reached around and stabbed the dagger into its core. Despite the frantic movement of the Golem, her aim was true and the dagger sunk into the core’s center. At first, nothing happened aside from some cursory cracking. Neither Nellie nor Rinzer were worried, though. They both knew that her weapon was special. For when certain conditions were met, it dealt increased damage. And the conditions were obviously met in that moment, because her initial stab caused a burst of that purple energy. She pulled the dagger free and the core shattered completely. The Golem fell lifeless to the ground and Nellie stood atop it, annoyed rather than proud of her work.

“That was a good move, congratu-“ Rinzer begian to congratulate her, only to be interrupted by a yawn. It was brief, but it was enough time for the last Golem, thought to be dead by both adventurers, to rise up behind him. It raised its big, mechanical fist up above its head, preparing to punch him.

Seeing the Golem behind him, Nellie panicked and instinctively used her bracer to summon a bunch of knives in her hand. It took less than a second to infuse her energy into them and she threw them effortlessly like darts. They all hit their marks, impaling the last Golem's core until it exploded. The hallway fell into silence again and the coast was now clear.

For a moment, Rinzer was shocked. He looked over his shoulder at the now defeated Golem, wondering why he didn't notice or sense it approaching. In his head, he fought with himself for a moment. Maybe Nellie was right, maybe he was too tired, one part said. But then another part said it was just a mistake, one moment where he slipped up. It happened to everyone, he rationalized. It didn’t mean anything, he was fine. He could keep going. The first part was quickly drowned out and his mind was made up. He shook off his shock, telling himself one last time that he was fine.

“Always covering for me, aren’t you, Nellie?” Rinzer joked, smiling at her. “Thanks for saving me. I really don’t know what I’d do without you.”

Nellie blushed at the sentiment, butterflies fluttering in her stomach, but it’s not enough to get past her irritation with him. “It’s not something to joke about. If you keep working yourself to the bone, something is going to happen sooner or later.”

“Nellie,” he started, preparing a long speech about how he knew his limits and she could trust him to know his body. But he saw in her face and heard in her words just how much this is bothering her, worrying her. His long speech was forgotten, and he shamefully looked down. He was silent for several seconds before he spoke again. “We’ve been together a long time. We’ve always supported each other, been there for each other. I shouldn’t be brushing you off like this.”

Rinzer raised his head to meet her gaze. “I’m sorry for making your worry and ignoring your concerns. I’ll be more careful from now on.”

Nellie said nothing in response. That's not good enough for her, she wanted him to take better care of himself so that this stopped happening completely. But she knew this is a conversation for another place, another time. “We need to talk about this more, but not here. This isn’t the place.”

“You’re right,” Rinzer agreed with a sigh. “We’ll find time later, after we get back.”

“Promise me. You won’t ignore me again.” He opened his mouth to respond but she held up her hand to cut him off. “Promise me. Give me your word. You’ve been making too many mistakes recently, in case you’ve forgotten. Triggering traps, missing enemy presences, forgetting crucial supplies, dropping your bags. This has to stop. Promise me, we’ll talk about this, and you’ll listen to me.”

Despite his assurances to himself, Rinzer knew he had to take some responsibility here. At least for upsetting Nellie, if not for his actions as well. She was the best friend he could ever ask for, always looking out for him and trying to take care of him when he wouldn’t take care of himself. He couldn’t imagine his life without her in it, two friends off on adventures together for all time. She was the only family he ha, the only one he trusted with his life. She was the most important person in his life. He wouldn't be able to live with himself if she was mad at him.

Wanting to make sure she knew he was sincere, he came close to her and took her hands. He squeezed them reassuringly as he looked into her eyes. “I promise, we’ll talk about it soon. I won't push it off or ignore you again,” he promised. And then, to prove his words, he said, “No matter how far we get today, we can leave tomorrow.”

Nellie’s face blushed and burned at the contact, her stomach betraying her again with butterflies. She couldn’t look away from his eyes as she struggled over what to say. After a few seconds she settled for just accepting his apology. He smiled at her in response, and she smiled back after a moment’s hesitation.

The two then set about the rest of their work for the day, diving into the rest of the archives. Because bag space was getting more limited, they had to be pickier about all the treasure they stole. Luckily it went fast because Nellie always had an eye for what was or wasn't valuable. More books and scrolls were added to the bags. Another statue was found, this one of a couple embracing. Just looking at it made Nellie’s heart hurt and it was hurriedly shoved into a bag without thought of whether it was valuable. Then it was more gems and jewelry, including a large uncut emerald. And finally, the last thing to go in the bag before there was no more space, was an ornate gold hand mirror.

Along with the various treasures, there was trouble along the way. Every other room, the security Golems were activated, either by some noise or movement they made. These were taken care of just as easily as the first, though Rinzer had to admit to himself that Nellie did more fighting them him. Not by his choice of course, but every time he turned to face a new Golem, she was already there with her knives. It was the same with the traps they ran into along the way. He didn’t miss or set off any of them, but she made him step back while she deactivated them, as if he wasn’t capable. It would have been annoying, if he wasn’t secretly grateful for it.

When they finally made it out of the dungeon, the sun was just starting to fall. And Rinzer’s gratefulness had died, replaced by disappointment. Contrary to his usual upbeat self, he was quiet as they headed back to camp. Upset that they didn’t reach the deepest depths of the dungeon, he forced himself to accept that it was more than enough. They were exploring for a week, after all, and they filled up multiple bags of holding. Still, he couldn’t wipe the disappointed look from his face.

After reaching camp, they each took one side of the fire and stripped off their gear. Copying each other’s movements, their gear was tossed into their respective tents before they grabbed clean clothes. They then took turns going to the nearby stream for a quick wash, though Nellie always went first. She’d learned the hard way not to let him go first, because he would come back still partially wet, with nothing on but his pants. She couldn’t handle that, as much as she enjoyed the view.

After they were both clean and dry, they settled into their winding down activities. Unable to enjoy what others would find relaxing, Rinzer had found other ways to wind down while still technically getting work done. One such way was doing inventory. He emptied their bags into a pile on the ground and started going through them. It was tedious separating and organizing the items, but it was relatively simple, and it slowed his mind and body down after the day’s excitement. And it helped him feel like he wasn’t wasting time, because he could plan out what item was going where and who it would help most.

On the other side of the fire, Nellie cleaned her dagger. It didn’t need it, but the repetitive movements helped settle her. There were other things she could be doing, other things that she enjoyed, but this was something she could do without thinking. That meant she could focus her attention on Rinzer. As she bent over the dagger in her lap, she watched him through the fall of her hair. She knew what was going through his head as he inspected each item before putting it into its determined pile. She could make him sleep, make him eat, but she couldn’t change what was in his head.

Half an hour later they were both calm and ready to eat. It was no good eating right after an adventure, as food didn’t sit well if someone was worked up. To Rinzer’s surprise, there was nothing left in their food bag except some water and dried meat. Shame filled him as he realized that Nellie wasn’t kidding about running low on supplies. It was a meager supper, but it filled their bellies and that was all an adventurer could ask for.

And after supper, they settled down on either side of the fire to watch the sunlight disappear. Neither spoke much, taking the time just enjoying each other’s presence. It was calming and comforting after a day exploring and fighting Golems. Occasionally the silence was broken when one or the other spoke, either making a joke or bringing up a happy memory. But eventually night had truly fallen, and they were both longing for their beds. They said their goodnights and headed to their separate tents. Nellie paused to watch Rinzer climb into his before she slipped into hers.

As Rinzer laid in his tent alone, sleep didn’t come. He tossed and turned, restless body matching his restless mind. He couldn't stop thinking about how he wasn't doing enough. There was always more to do and people who needed help. He could never keep up with it all, but he couldn’t stop trying. Guilt faded away to nihilism as he thought to himself about how nothing ever got better, despite his efforts. He’d been trying for years but there was nothing to show for it. When he looked around the town he called home, it was still the same poor town he'd grown up in.

Rinzer spent a long time trying to get these thoughts out of his head. He tried screaming into his pillow but found he couldn’t actually scream for fear of attracting the attention of some nighttime beast. Or worse, waking Nellie. So instead he tried punching his pillow, hoping maybe he could punch his feelings out. But that didn’t work either. He ran through a list of random things after that but still nothing worked. After an hour he was soon very tempted to go back into the dungeon and see if he could clear it out. He was just about to get up and go see if Nellie was asleep, when he got his answer. Nellie surprised him by poking into his tent in her pajamas, nothing but a shirt and her panties.

Rinzer sit up as she moved to stand at the foot of his bedroll. He was used to her coming into his tent, just as she was used to him coming into hers. He didn’t mean to, but he couldn’t help giving her body a cursory glance. She was an even five feet tall, slim and athletic, with medium sized breasts. He’d seen it before and never felt anything, but he subjectively thought it was an appealing figure. He shook his head and met her gaze.

“You’re thinking of going back in there, aren’t you?” Nellie asked, calling him out. He guiltily shifted on his bedroll. He knew he couldn’t lie, especially not after his earlier promise, so he silently nodded. She sighed and asked, “Do I have to sleep in here to keep you from overworking yourself?”

Rinzer blushed, embarrassed at the suggestion, and nervously replied, “It’s not like how it was when we were kids.”

“You’ve been weird about this ever since I grew tits,” Nellie accused, rolling her eyes. “It’s not weird for me, so you can just stop worrying about it already,” she insisted.

After thinking about it for a moment, Rinzer admitted to himself that he was thankful for the offer, if still embarrassed. He had barely nodded his head when she slid under the blanket. She took the little spoon position, her back to his front, and settled under the blanket.

“Just like old times, right?” she murmured. “I’ve missed this a lot, you know.” She felt Rinzer nod his agreement and had to bite her lip. There’s more she wanted to say, more she wanted to ask for. But she didn’t say or ask for anything else. She took what she can get, like she always has.

Despite his embarrassment, Rinzer was finally able to calm down with Nellie next to him. She felt nice in his arms, small and soft compared to him. She was warm against his chest. And with every breath he breathed in the sweet smell of her hair. She comforted him, lulling him to relax enough that he gave into his exhaustion after just a couple minutes.

When Rinzer’s breathing turned slow, deep, and even Nellie knew he was asleep. She sighed heavily, disappointed. She wished she could do more for him, though helping him get a good night’s sleep was a good start. She wanted to make him feel better in other ways, though. She comforted herself with the knowledge that he was at least feeling more relaxed. Which was good, because Nellie knew she would not be sleeping at all.

His big strong arms were holding her, and she felt so little wrapped up in them. Her heart beat too loud, almost thundering in her ears. She had to continuously fight back her desires and force her body to lay still. The last thing she wanted was to wake him or make him feel uncomfortable. He worked so hard to make everyone else happy, with no care or thought of himself. It was the least she could do, besides making sure he didn’t work himself into the ground. He deserved to relax, and she would take one for the team to make sure it happened.

When morning came, Rinzer was more rested and ready to go. He exited his tent with a smile on his face, the first real one that didn’t hide his exhaustion he’d worn in a while. He went straight to Nellie, who had hurried from the tent as soon as he awoke. He was very thankful for her and her help last night. He didn’t even get the chance to say that though, because Nellie held up her hand. He recognized it as sign to not speak, so he held his tongue while she walked away.

He tried again as they set up breakfast, another meal of water and dried meat. Still, she refused to respond to him or even meet his gaze. Rinzer watched her as she ate, trying to understand why she was grumpy at him. He knew it was aimed at him because nothing had happened since they got out of bed to attract her ire. After giving it some thought over his dried meat, he ultimately, innocently, assumed it was because she didn’t sleep good. She was trapped in his arms all night, so she was probably just tired, he reasoned with himself. He tried not to worry about it though, because after breakfast it was time for them to return to town. His worry slipped to the back of his mind as he grew excited to get on the road.

Guilt ate at Nellie as they had their breakfast. She didn’t like making Rinzer worry, making him think she was angry at him. But she didn’t have the heart to tell him the truth. To tell him that she’d spent a long time that morning being tortured by his morning wood. Tortured in many ways, because on the one hand it was impossible to ignore and riled her up with thoughts and images. And on the other she hadn’t wanted to wake him by crawling out of his embrace, so she was stuck. And on an invisible third hand, she had to stay absolutely still so as not to work him or her up further. His waking up was a relief because she was finally able to get up and get away. She hadn’t been able to look at him since.

After breakfast, they had to break camp. Their bedrolls were rolled up into their tents. Their bags of holding were filled, each one holding different items according to Rinzer’s system. The firepit was cleared away and they refilled their water skins in the stream. It was another routine they knew well, each of them moving independently yet in sync with each other. In no time at all, everything was in order, and they were able to put on their packs and bags. Rinzer carried most of the magical bags, because even with the added weight of his armor and pack he still had plenty of strength to go around. Which was good, because he could see how tired Nellie really was.

And finally, they headed out on their way. Rinzer’s offer to carry Nellie for a bit was met with a scowl, the first time she’d looked at him all morning. He didn’t offer again after that, though in a role reversal from the day before he watched her closely in case she needed a break. Luckily for her, it would be a fairly smooth journey. They were only a few days out from the Imperalis and the land between it and them wasn’t dangerous.

After a while of walking in silence, he randomly said, “Everyone is waiting for me, you know. We’ve got to make good time.” It was a deliberate taunt, trying to motivate her by playing on her pride.

It had the desired effect, because Nellie snorted and sarcastically replied, “Let’s not keep them waiting, then,” before she set off ahead of him with a new spring in her step. Grinning with pride at his success, Rinzer hurried after her. They made quite an image walking together, two adventurers different in more ways than they were similar but bonded in the only ways that mattered.