Question Exchange

The sound of muffled water and scrubbing filled Gunrage.

Jimin looked at Derrick and Voidborn in disbelief.

“Surely you guys have a solution for your showers?” she asked, biting her lips at the thought of needing to plead with Rei for water.

“I don’t need to shower.”

“Same here,” Derrick said, shrugging as he shook his head. “I do have wet wipes, but those are reserved for later in the trip. I do not have enough for daily use.”

“Wet wipes aren’t enough…” Jimin pouted. “They won’t do much for my hair either. Do I really have to say please…”

“Ahhh~”

A satisfied moan drifted out from the shower room.

Jimin’s head snapped towards Rei’s silhouette, her hands running across the curves of her body in slow, teasing slides. The enchanting sounds of water cascaded down her body and dripped onto the shower’s floor in tantalising steady, heavy taps. Steam slipped out from the narrow slits of the shower door, filling Gunrage with the alluring temptation of warmth and comfort.

“Warm water feels so good~”

Jimin slowly turned back toward the two men, face flushing red.

Voidborn looked at her. A whirlpool was swirling inside her.

Green. Pink. Red.

Envy. Embarrassment. Anger.

Voidborn frowned. He was puzzled. He could understand why Jimin was envious, but he had no clue about the embarrassment or anger.

“Are you two going to keep staring shamelessly?” Jimin hissed.

“Ahem,” Derrick coughed, his cheeks turning crimson. He turned and walked towards the weapons storage room. “I’ll be working on some stuff there. Just call me if you need anything.”

As Derrick closed the door with a soft click, Jimin turned to face Voidborn.

“I’m not staring shamelessly,” Voidborn clarified, his face still carrying the same blank expression.

“You better not have any weird ideas,” she mumbled, narrowing her eyes in suspicion. “Now shoo if you’re not going to shower.”

Voidborn nodded and walked off, leaving Jimin and Rei to their literary warfare.

He stood at the entrance of Gunrage, looking out into the dark from the open front gate.

Pulling out a roll of military-grade rope string, he formed a loop from the loose end. With a swift, practiced motion, he wrapped the working end around the standing line, threaded it through a smaller loop, then yanked it tight.

A noose.

He let it fall to the ground beside him and turned his head slightly as the sounds of Jimin and Rei’s negotiation drifted out from deeper inside Gunrage.

“Rei-ya… Are you really gonna leave me like this?”

“I didn’t say no though? You just need to use the magic word! It’s like a spell~”

Whines and failed negotiation attempts floated through the air as Voidborn continued tying more nooses.

“I’ll give you ten gold shells.”

“No.”

“Twenty!”

“Is a shower in the forest worth that little to you? I already offered you a cheaper price, but you’re not taking it.”

“Come on… I don’t wanna beg… How about this, I’ll give you the heart hairpin I have. You said that you wanted it, right?”

“I want the pink one. The one with the pretty ribbon on it.”

“I can’t give you that… Dad gave it to me!”

“Oh please, you have so many other hairpins.”

“...Is there really nothing else I can give other than that?”

“You can always say please?”

“Ugh. Fine. But if you want that, you have to handle my showers for the rest of the trip. That one is special. It can style your hair automatically.”

“Deal.”

Voidborn continued forming loops in silence.

“Whatcha doing?”

Rei emerged from the shower room, padding her hair dry with a towel draped around her neck.

“Traps.”

“Hmm? Aren't there already traps outside?”

“I know. Just to be sure.”

Voidborn finished the final loop, emptying the roll of rope.

“Alright, you do you. I’m heading to sleep. You sure you don’t want a shower?”

“Please?”

“Oh, you don't need to. Only Jimin.”

Rei chuckled.

She summimined her tome. She waved her hand and the book flipped to a page with a spell diagram that was half-red, half-blue. She grabbed on to it and tore it out.

“Here,” she said, passing the torn page to Voidborn. “This one is a temporary basic spell. Just chant the words Hot Shower and tear the page in half. Point at where you want the water to fall and it’ll scatter for ten minutes.”

“Thank you,” Voidborn nodded.

“Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ll be heading to sleep.”

Voidborn watched her walk into the shared bunk room, before bending to pick up the nooses he made. He folded the page neatly and tucked it into his pocket, treating it as if it were a gold shell.

Right as he stood—

“REIIIII!!! WHY IS THE WATER COLD?!”

The scream echoed through Gunrage.

Voidborn walked outside, nooses in hand.

He walked past the turrets named Tear, presumably named because the beams could tear through flesh. The turrets rotated towards him briefly before resuming their scans.

Safe.

He approached a Teeth hidden beside the roots of a nearby tree and tossed a rock in between the iron jaws.

Nothing happened.

Voidborn nodded in approval. He could safely walk through without worrying about losing a leg to the hungry bear traps.

He walked a little further away, approaching a tree. Grabbing the noose by its loop, he swung it a several times, gathering momentum before throwing it upwards. The noose was sent flying over a branch of reasonable girth, hanging off the other side. Releasing his grip, Voidborn let the other end of the trap fall free, and the loop settled on the ground.

Perfect.

The black nylon string was thin yet durable, an unassuming dark hoop waiting to give any unsuspecting intruder the experience of an upside down hanging ride.

Voidborn tied the ends of the trap to his wrist, then proceeded to set the rest of the traps throughout the surrounding trees.

Once done, he headed back to Gunrage and transferred the tied rope ends to a bell system he had built. Any triggered trap would ring the bell and notify him.

Walking into the shared bunk room, the rest were already asleep. There were two double decker bunk beds, one on each side of the room. The females took one double deck, and Derrick the other. Voidborn looked at Derrick and Rei, who were sleeping on the top bunks.

Silver and blue swirled faintly within Derrick’s chest.

Purple and blue drifted within Rei’s.

Dreams of machinery and spells, perhaps.

He walked to the side of his bed and set his sword down, untying the Cloth of Light from it. Setting the sword and cloth neatly on his bed, he turned and looked at Jimin.

Voidborn frowned.

Jimin was deep asleep, but her sleeping position was nothing he expected. Her limbs were splayed wide, arms and legs stretched to form a distorted letter ‘K’.

Voidborn genuinely did not know what to say.

Not that he usually had much to say, but this time he truly had nothing.

He shook his head and relaxed his brow, turning to leave.

Then—

Jimin shifted. She flipped her body and faced the wall beside the bunk bead, curling into a fetal position.

Her body trembled and shook. Soft, wet sniffs escaped her lips.

She was crying.

Voidborn focused his eyes and looked at her.

Black.

Thin wisps of black drifted from her trembling body like smoke.

He looked up at Derrick and Rei. Derrick had earplugs stuffed into his ears; Rei with a pillow over her face.

Voidborn walked over quietly.

He bent down and picked up her blanket that had been kicked aside, pulling it back over her body until only her neck and head remained exposed.

Then he looked at her face.

She wasn't smiling.

Perhaps she was affected after all, Voidborn thought.

He straightened his body and headed to shower.

“Couldn't we have had breakfast in Gunrage earlier?”

Jimin bit into a piece of jerky, rolling the meat around her mouth as she tried to soften it with her saliva.

“Like I said, the faster we get to Kandar, the better,” Derrick replied from atop the mechanical horse as he guided it forward. “Don't you want to get out of here and return to civilisation as quickly as possible?”

“Yes, but… ten minutes of breakfast time wouldn’t hurt,” Jimin groaned.

“If I can eat on the go, why can't you?”

“I actually agree with her on this though,” Rei said, pouting with her mouth full of orange slices. “As you've said, the cart has zero suspension. We're here fighting for our lives, trying not to bite our own tongue whenever—”

The cart rolled over a rock.

“—that happens.”

Rei peeled another orange slice from the half in her hand and passed it to Jimin.

“You don't feel anything because your horse has built-in suspension springs already,” Rei said, stuffing another piece into her mouth, chewing with care.

“What? You sneaky bastard!” Jimin exclaimed. “Back me up, Voidborn! Tell him that we deserve proper mealtimes.”

“Please heed Lady Yoo’s suggestion, Derrick. I have a duty to protect her. Injuries to her mouth and buttocks are not preferred.”

“Pfft—”

“Why are you laughing!”

Jimin poked Rei in the shoulder before sighing dramatically.

“And you!” Jimin frowned, offering her slice of orange to Voidborn. “Why do you call Derrick by his name but not mine! Lady Yoo this, Lady Yoo that. Can't you call me Jimin?”

“No.” Voidborn said, accepting the orange from her. “I cannot be disrespectful to my employer’s daughter.”

“Thank you for the orange.”

He popped it into his mouth and chewed into the soft flesh, the burst of refreshing, citrusy juices flooding his taste buds. With an approving nod, he swallowed the fruit’s pulp and juices, before biting into his own piece of jerky.

“Fine. I’ll see what I can do,” Derrick muttered.

He pushed a few buttons on the mechanical horse’s floating screen, before pulling out a notebook from his side pocket.

“Autopilot mode?” Rei asked.

“Yes. The road ahead is relatively clear.”

“Good.”

“We should be arriving at a remote village soon, so let's have our lunch there.”

Voidborn nodded and continued eating his breakfast, leaving the two ladies to their own conversation.

He looked at his surroundings as the cart rolled along the path. The sun had fully risen now, shining its golden rays across the grassy plains. They had left the forested area an hour after they set off, rolling towards the mountainous area.

Voidborn took out the map and looked at it. He recognised the village they were heading towards. Tracing his finger along the path, he frowned a little.

“Hey.”

Voidborn looked at Jimin.

“Why the long face? You're gonna get wrinkles, you know.”

“The mountains come after the village.”

“So?”

“He means we’re approaching the zone where people disappeared. Did you forget already?”

“N-No! I was just err—acting! Yeah, acting!”

“Yeah right,” Rei chuckled. “You’ll be the best actress in the world. Just not any world that I live in.”

“Rei…”

Jimin’s face flushed red.

“I’m joking, unnie. Hehehe. You're so fun to tease.”

“Anyway, let's talk!”

Rei looked at her and nodded.

“Yeah, yeah! I wanted to play with you longer back in my room, but we were short on time. I have sooo many questions to ask.”

“Can you guys not bully Voidborn?”

“Hmmm…” Jimin pondered, before muttering. “How about this. Have you ever heard of the Question Exchange game?”

Voidborn nodded.

“Then let's take turns asking questions.”

“Does he even have any questions for you two?” Derrick asked.

“Wow.” Jimin crossed her arms and sneered. “You asked us not to bully him, and now you're the one making assumptions.”

“I—”

“Nuh uh. You're off the game. Fix our butt pain instead.”

“Fine.”

Derrick huffed and continued scribbling things in his notebook.

“So, who's gonna start?” Jimin asked.

“Rock, paper, scissors?”

“Sure~” Rei agreed.

Voidborn nodded and raised his fist, focusing his eyes on the two ladies.

“I’m gonna throw rock.”

“Me too.”

Voidborn calmly threw out paper as he observed the pure white shining in their hearts.

“Damn.”

“You were lucky. Fine, you can start first.”

“Don't you all get to ask questions anyway? Does it even matter who starts first?”

“Shut up and draw, Derrick.” Jimin blepped.

“How does one become a Reborn?”

“Huh? Are you seriously asking us this?”

“Yeah! Even my stupid brain knows the answer to this. But since you asked, I shall gladly demonstrate my wonderful memory skills.”

“The answer is simple. To be a Reborn, you simply need to join one of the six factions! Although, you do have to undergo a strict vetting process before you can become one.”

Silence filled the air.

“That's it?” Voidborn asked.

“Duh? Or at least that's what I was taught.”

Rei sighed and spoke. “Let me fill in the gaps. I'm assuming you're asking about how one actually becomes a Reborn, not how one gains permission.”

Voidborn nodded.

“The answer is actually pretty simple. You just have to consume a Rebirth stone. Although, it's not like these stones are just lying around everywhere.”

“Right! That's what I was about to say. ”

Rei ignored her and continued.

“For example, I became a Scholar after consuming a Rebirth 1 stone that was given to me by Spellbound after my application was approved. The entry test was extremely difficult, by the way, but I passed with flying colours~”

“There are three important things to note. First, you must consume a stone associated with the Reborn type you're interested in. Consume something wrong and womp womp — you can't revert or switch types.”

Voidborn listened attentively.

“Secondly, you can only consume a Rebirth 1 stone. If one consumes anything higher, they will meet one of three endings.”

“Endings?”

“Yes. Endings, because they are fucked. The first is the disintegration of their body. They simply go poof, disappearing into dust.”

“Sheesh, that sounds awful. Why didn't you tell me any this?”

“They are in the book that you borrowed from me. The book touches on more details.”

“Gosh.”

“Having said that, that’s actually one of the better endings. The second possibility is mental collapse caused by the associated flaw of that path. So in the case of Scholars, they will go crazy. As for Mechanists, they would instantly act like robots.”

“So what? A human who consumes a higher tiered Savage stone would go berserk, running around attacking anyone hysterically?”

“Yes.”

“That's insane. What about the last ending?”

“The last is what I deem to be the worst. There is a chance of the person transforming into a monster. They would lose their human mind and mutate into something that barely retains a single human feature, wandering around driven only by the flaw tied to that Reborn type.”

“Jeez.”

“I once saw an aspiring Mechanist consuming a Rebirth 2 stone on the black market,” Derrick suddenly said.

“His body instantly started convulsing, before stiffening up. His joints turned into ball bearings, his orifices hollowed into sockets, and gears protruded out of his brain. His eyes were rolling to whites as the gears rotated and clattered, grinding the insides of his brain into juices that eventually became machinery lubricant.”

“What in the fuck?”

“I watched as the patrolling Mechinist Elite Squad killed him—it, taking it down before it started to rampage.”

“It's terrifying, I know, but people still try because becoming a Reborn means money and status.”

Voidborn nodded and asked. “What about the third thing to note?

“Ah, right. There is still a small chance of failure even if one consumes a Rebirth 1 stone. It’s really depends on the potential of the human. The higher the potential, the greater the chance of success.”

“Gosh, my brain hurts.”

“What brain?” Rei teased. “Anyway, I hope we have answered your question.”

“Can I ask next?” Jimin asked.

“Sure, go ahead.”

“Do you have a family?”

“Yes.”

Then silence.

“That's it? You're not going to elaborate more?”

“I answered your question. Maybe you need to frame better questions.”

“Fine. Can I ask again?”

Voidborn nodded.

“I want to know the 5W and 1H of your family.”

“I don't actually remember much about my actual parents. I only remember being an orphan, and I was cared for by a lady.”

“Oh. Where is she now?”

“Dead. She was killed by the monster that destroyed my home.”

“Is that why you killed the monster?”

“No. I killed the monster because it was trying to kill me.”

“Oh.”

“You done?”

Jimin nodded.

“Then it's my turn. I’ve been meaning to ask after observing you for a few days. Are you not able to feel emotions?”

“No. As far I know, no. Even if I do feel something, they disappear as quickly as they appear.”

“Voidborn…” Jimin looked at him with a pout.

“Perhaps it is an issue with the amygdala of your brain, or perhaps a past trauma. I'm thinking it's the latter since you said you don't remember much. If you don't mind, I can try and help you when we get back from Kandar?”

“Okay,” Voidborn nodded.

“Alright, your turn.”

“Lady Yoo, are you a Reborn?”

“W-What? No! What makes you think so?”

“Nothing. Just asking,” Voidborn replied, but his gaze was fixed on her face.

Yellow.

She's lying.

“Why don't you ask another question, since that question was redundant anyway,” Jimin said.

“Then, Lady Yoo, can you fight?”

“Yes. I actually learned dagger skills from my Dad when I was young. I'm quite good, you know? My nickname is actually Katarina.”

“I can attest to that. She's really good with a dagger.”

“Yeah, that's why I chose a dagger from the vault.”

“My turn! Speaking about weapons, I know you said you were more familiar with your sword, but why didn't you pick another sword?”

“My sword was a gift from the woman who take care of me. I'm the most comfortable with it.”

“Does it have a name?”

“Colourless. She told me it was named Colourless.”

“That's a cool name, especially so now that it’s invisible from the cloth,” Rei remarked.

Voidborn looked at his leg, staring right at the invisible blade leaning on it.

“My turn. I was noticing during the fight last night. You dodge really well. How did you do so? It was as if you could see into the future.”

“I just watch muscle movement.”

“That works?” Jimin asked.

“I have good eyesight.”

“I see…” Rei nodded, muttering something to herself.

“Your turn.”

“How does one transition to the next Rebirth stage?”

“I was wondering when this question would come, considering your lack of knowledge about Reborns.”

“There are two ways. The safe and long way, or the short and risky way. For the safe and long way, one would need to fully embrace that particular Rebirth stage. Remember what I said last night about names being symbolic?”

Voidborn nodded.

“You will need to understand fully what that name means, and fully master the skill endowed unto you at that particular Rebirth stage. Only when you have accomplished that, can you advance to the next stage safely.”

“How does one fully master the skill? How do we know if we're ready? What about the short and risky way?”

“Impatient are we? Regarding your first question, two things. Practice and enlightenment. Keep using your skill and improve it. While every Reborn of the same type is granted the same skill, proficiency matters. A newbie Reader wouldn't compare to an experienced one. The latter would obviously know more spells and draw faster.”

Voidborn nodded.

“As for the question on readiness, you just know it. This brings me to the second point. The short and risky way. It's simple, you find a Rebirth stone of the next level and consume it.”

“That's it? Then why don't everyone do it?” Voidborn asked.

“Several reasons. Rebirth stones are finite and controlled. There's a rumor that there are only 11111 rebirth stones for each Reborn type. No one has actually confirmed that though. The second reason why it's not the preferred method is because consuming a Rebirth stone to advance carries the same risk of the three endings I mentioned earlier. However, the closer you are to fully mastering your Rebirth stage, the lower the risk.”

“However, many still choose the fast and risky route, because it simply takes too long to reach full mastery. It's not that bad for the Lowborn stages, but once you reach Rebirth 3, it can take tens of years to advance, as compared to one or two years for Rebirths 1 and 2.”

Voidborn nodded.

“Are you thinking of consuming a stone to advance?” Rei asked.

“No.”

“I’ll just put this out there. Unless you are very sure of your Reborn type, you had best not take the short route. Consuming a Rebirth stone of a different type will cause you to go insane, your mind overloading from two different flaws.”

“Plus, you say you're a Savage. I don't think you are. Either you are super untalented, or you're simply not one at all.”

“Is there no way to find out your Reborn type accurately?” Jimin asked.

“No. Since becoming a Reborn officially is usually done through the factions themselves, there is no need to test. In the case of identifying an enemy, we usually use the unreliable way of identifying skills and flaws.”

“But he’s emotionless,” Jimin said.

“Exactly. Coupled with the fact that he only uses basic kicks, punches and slashes, with no visible physical enhancement traits that Savages exhibit, we won't know his actual Reborn type.”

“Is there nothing I can do to find out?”

“Unfortunately this time round, I will have to say I don't know.”

“Perhaps I can ask my Mom and Dad when we get back? Would you like that?”

“Yes.”

“Okay!”

“My turn, my turn!” Jimin bounced on her seat. “I wanna know more about you. Will you tell me the jobs you did before this mission?”

“If you are interested. They may bore you.”

“I won't! How many jobs have you actually done though?”

“100.”

“What? How long have you been working?”

“Three years. I worked for another mercenary group before joining Mr Kennedy’s. This is my 101st job.”

“Woahhhh,” Jimin jaws dropped, eyes opened in awe. “Make sure to tell me your stories as we travel!”

Voidborn nodded, before looking at Rei.

“I have no more questions. You can ask next.”

He looked at Jimin.

“I saw you smiling yesterday after the bugbear fight. Why?”

“M-me—?”

Jimin started coughing, choking on her saliva.

“N-nothing! I was just overwhelmed! Yeah! I didn't know what to do at that point in time.”

Yellow.

“P-people were crying everywhere, and I tried helping the fat man, but he eventually still died…”

The yellow did not fade.

“So I smiled.”

Black slightly flickered within her.

Voidborn looked at her, neither nodding nor saying anything.

“My turn to ask!” she spouted quickly, as if trying to change the topic.

“What's your favourite fo—”

“The village's up ahead,” Derrick interrupted. “Let’s stop for lunch.”

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