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Bard had felt the storm coming for miles.
Their wings had tucked in tightly to their head, feathers annoyed at every stray drop of rain. The clouds above had darkened from a light shower to something more menacing, creeping in closer and closer with every second. They had already re-lit their torch several times, and the poor stick was absolutely soaked from rainwater.
At the first crack of thunder, Bard figures they need somewhere to admit defeat and hide out. To the east, they see an easy cave entrance in the base of a nearby mountain, and figure it'll be safer to deal with the shivers while in a dry cave than in a downpour.
So, they head towards the cave entrance. They only pause once, to pick some cranberries off of a bush for snacking, before stepping into the stony mountainside. With a flick of their crude firestarter, their torch was weakly lighting up the cavern.
There was a deep tunnel continuing down, far below where Bard could see. There was also a path from above, where Bard could hear the faintest scuttling from a shiver. Their hand rested on the hilt of their falx, just in case.
They found a small divot in the ground to plant their torch, freeing up both hands to get a campfire going. They had managed to nab a couple fish earlier in the day, which would be a welcome diet change from scavenged berries and questionable mushrooms. A campfire would also provide them better vision, just in case that damn shiver tried to cause issue.
They were careful to place the fillets of fish across two sticks spanning the fire. The cave filled with a bright smell, and Bard's stomach growled. They pulled the fillets off, wrapping them carefully in some clean grasses to cool and absorb flavor.
Just as they were doing so, however, they froze - something had clattered nearby. There was something approaching. The sounds of creatures from earlier had put Bard on edge enough that they drew their falx, whirling in the direction of the sound - the path from above, where the shiver had been.
But it wasn't a shiver that clambered down the rocks. Well, not at first, at least. The being being chased by a shiver was… something Bard had never expected to see again.
A Seraph. Tall and lanky, dressed in a clock maker's uniform.
Bard didn't have any time to investigate more as the stray seraph leapt down several feet, cursing in annoyance at the landing. Their eyes snapped up, bright magenta locking with Bard's vibrant blue.
Then, in an instant, Bard had charged forward. Their falx was drawn into an outstretched hand, the other grabbing this new seraph to pull them behind them and away from the shiver. The creature hissed at the sight of copper, and it screamed when Bard cleaved through it.
"What the-" The other seraph's voice was strained, confused - they sounded tired. No surprise there, this world kind of sucked to go through alone. But Bard didn't focus on that - they focused on backing up, taking the stranger with them, and away from the twitching corpse of the shiver.
"You hurt?" Bard risked looking back at the other seraph, catching those incredibly bright eyes again. Their face was mostly obscured with a scarf, leaving their eyes the only real identifiable feature besides their longer black hair, which did as good a job of obscuring their face as their scarf did.
"No, I… I ran enough that it didn't catch me," The stranger rolled their shoulders, eyes flicking up from Bard's to the shiver behind them. "Shit-"
Bard moved to turn, to see what the seraph had seen, only for the shiver they had previously assumed dead to slam into them. They stumbled, crashing into the stranger, and all three of them careened over the edge, and deeper into the cave.
Thinking fast, Bard kicked out at the shiver, throwing it further from them as they all hit the stone floor. Something crunched painfully in Bard's side, their head cracking into the ground - the stranger rolled away from Bard, crying out at their own crash landing.
Bard forced themself to their feet just in time to intercept the shiver, spearing it on their falx. The creature's screams died in its mangled throat, and it went limp from the final blow. Bard could feel blood trickling down the side of their head, and their chest was aflame with pain, but they chose to ignore all of that in favor of looking towards the stranger.
"Well… that wasn't fun." Bard stumbled to the stranger, their balance a bit off kilter from the head injury. The stranger's arm was at an awful angle, likely dislocated, but they looked otherwise okay.
"No shit," The seraph wheezed, slowly sitting up. Their good hand wrapped around to grab their bad arm, wincing at the awful pain of having your arm ripped from its socket. Their eyes flicked up, catching Bard's. "You alright?"
Bard's wings flicked once in concern, and they were grateful the fragile limbs seemed to escape injury. "I'll be fine."
Bard was glad, for once, for the white mask covering their face. It kept the stranger from looking too close at them. That was probably why they were wearing their scarf the way they did - it hid their face.
"Well… nice going, feathers." Something in the stranger's voice was teasing, jeering in a way that Bard hadn't experienced for a while. It was… a bit refreshing, if not annoying.
"Hey, I didn't see you doing anything about it." Bard reached into their cloak, and pulled out the two grass-wrapped pieces of fish. They were okay, if a bit squished, so Bard pulled one free to hold out for the stranger. "Other than leading it right to me."
"I had it all under control," The stranger took the offered food, then turned their back on Bard, awkwardly unwrapping the scarf around their face one handed. "If you hadn't crashed into me, I would've been fine."
"I'm sorry, who led a shiver to the edge of a fucking hole?" Bard shot back, also turning their back on the stranger. They pulled their mask free from their face, white porcelain smeared on the inside with blood. Their head throbbed at the site, reminding them of their injury. "Also, if you didn't notice, I killed it. What'd you do, run?"
"Tactical evasion," The stranger shot back, voice muffled with food. "If I had one of those fancy swords, I'd've killed it myself."
"Sure. I'd like to see you try to use one of these things." Bard finished their piece of fish, and used the blue sash around their waist to clean their mask off a bit. With a single wipe of their face, they had pulled the mask back on, and turned to glare at the stranger.
"Hand it over, feathers, and I'll show you exactly how good I can be with a sword." The stranger had replaced their own scarf, and stood shakily to face Bard down. They had a few inches of height on Bard, but were noticeably lacking any weaponry.
Bard opened their mouth to retort, but froze in their tracks at the distant, telltale scraping of creatures in the cave. Their wings flicked, signalling to the stranger to shut the fuck up.
Looking up at where they had fallen, Bard could tell it was way too steep to climb back up that way. However, there was a branching tunnel nearby that seemed to be going up…
"Follow me," Bard ordered, keeping their voice low. From a basket on their hip, they pulled free a stick and some grass, fashioning another crude torch to light the way with. Their first torch was abandoned at the top of the cliff. Tragic.
"And why would I do that?" The stranger moved to cross both arms over their chest, but winced and kept the dislocated one limp at their side.
"Because if you don't, you will die down here. Up to you." Bard shrugged, torch in one hand and sword in the other, before beginning to climb their way up the tunnel. They heard the stranger hesitate, glancing behind them at the cavern further below, before choosing to jog up and after Bard.
"Whatever you say, feathers." Bard's wings flicked in indignation, but they kept marching forward.
"My name is Bard, y'know. You could've asked before going with feathers."
"Well how was I supposed to know your name?" The stranger caught up to Bard's side, but didn't get close. Ze kept a distance, making sure their injured arm was on the opposite side from them that Bard was. "Also, 'Bard'? I think I'll stick with feathers."
Bard rolled their eyes. They just had to keep pushing ahead - they could hear the distant chorus of surface beasts, which meant this tunnel had to have an exit topside.
"I'm Rogue, by the way." The stranger - now dubbed Rogue - chimed in. Bard hummed, a slight smirk on their face at the name. Rogue. That seemed fitting enough, but…
"Now… why should I use that name for you, when you refuse to use mine?" Bard turned to face Rogue, watching them closely. It was a bit of a game now, poking and prodding. Seeing which one of them snapped first.
"Eh. Not that attached to my name." Rogue shrugged with zir good shoulder, eyes crinkled with a smile. "Use it, or don't. Either way, knowledge is key - for instance, I know we're heading directly towards our noisy tunnel mates. So you'll wanna be prepared."
Bard's grip tightened on their sword. They were holding it in their wrong hand, finding the grip a tad awkward, but their likely broken ribs were on their good side. So they'd have to make do with the forced ambidexterity malefactors were trained to have.
"But… it does seem to be the way out." Rogue slipped a bit more behind Bard, their good hand raised and ready.
"Yeah, the rot beasts tend to stay closer to the surface. Easier hunting." Bard held out the torch to Rogue, so they at least had something to ward the beasts off with. "At least… the surface level ones do. I don't know what the deeper creatures eat, and I am not inclined to find out."
"That… you really don't." Rogue's voice had softened, but they took the torch. Their grip was solid enough, and Bard didn't plan to let anything get too close to the other - they had a very obvious lack of training, and would be far more likely to injure themself or Bard if ze attempted to help.
They turned to face the tunnel ahead, the copper of Bard's falx reflecting the torch light further forward. The blade was nearing the end of its life, already chipping in many places. But it'd have to do until Bard could figure out where to either buy a new one… or how to make it.
They missed the armory. They missed packing for supply runs with the other malefactors, finding companionship in people they'd grown and trained with all their life. They missed knowing they could return at the end of their missions to, well not exactly appetizing but at the very least warm, nutritious food.
But Bard was on their own now. They had to get that through their head - find the truth, and maybe… maybe the doors would open for them again someday.
"Try not to set me on fire with that thing," Bard warned, keeping their tone light and teasing.
Rogue snorted, raising the torch up higher. "No promises, Feathers."
With one last eye roll, Bard strolled up into the tunnel further to confront the unknown.
Luckily, the 'unknown' was more annoying at this stage than it was deadly. Drifters were menaces, but as long as Bard kept an eye on the bowthorns they brought with them then they could avoid taking too much long range damage. Rogue was also decent at holding their own, making sure nothing came up from behind to get them both when Bard looked away.
Together, in a surprisingly good duo, Rogue and Bard had made it to the surface. It was a different cave than where Bard had planned to set up camp earlier, but seeing as the sun was beginning to rise anyways, they figured it'd be better to just keep walking.
Bard looked at Rogue, and sighed. Well, with the relative safety of the surface, Bard could risk them making a bit of noise now.
"Want me to fix your arm?" Bard had reset a few dislocated joints for their fellow malefactors in the past - rudimentary first air was drilled into all of them, and they'd all learned for the most part to fix what you can and grit through what you can't. And this? Bard could fix this in their sleep.
"Oh no, take your time, Feathers," Rogue drawled, leaning up against the wall of the mountain. "I mean, if you could've fixed it by now, it can't be that big of a deal."
"I'm sorry I didn't want you to draw in monsters by screaming?" Bard dug in their basket, pulling a cleaned hide they had gotten a few days prior from a hare. It was soaked in fat, but hadn't dried completely, so the taste was going to be horrible. "But if you'd rather deal with it yourself~"
"Just fix the damn thing so I have my mobility back," Rogue stepped up to Bard, turning to face zir injured shoulder at them. Bard snickered, holding out the hide for them.
"Bite this - you'll thank me later."
They gave Rogue a moment to settle in, hesitating for just a moment before they slipped the scarf below their chin. Bard turned their head away respectfully - if ze was hiding zir face, there was probably a reason. Bard could be an asshole, but they weren't a dick.
Bard waited for Rogue to give them the nod of consent before they grabbed zir arm. They ignored the startled gasp of pain, and focused on keeping a tight grip on the limb before sliding it firmly, harshly, painfully back into place. The popping sound used to make them feel sick, the grind of bone on bone would turn their stomach - but they were used to it by now.
The second zir arm was back in place, Bard stepped back. They would prefer not to push any boundaries, and Rogue had seemed… off, that entire time. Quieter than most, but still affected.
Rogue spat the hide out, and Bard could see deep gashes in the pelt from zir teeth. It was a little unnerving, if Bard was being honest - their own teeth were sharp, but not to that level.
"Thank you," Rogue's voice was a bit more… distant, somehow. Made sense to Bard, considering how much resetting dislocation hurt. "Would've been hard to set on my own."
"Been there," Bard muttered, reaching for their own injuries. They prodded at their chest, feeling cracks and pain but nothing worse - they could deal with some fractured ribs. Their head was still pounding, but they could mostly ignore how the world was a bit more off kilter than usual. Not a terrible concussion, all things considered.
Rogue's head turned, and Bard saw the moment they caught the rising sun. The sky was awash in gorgeous pinks, oranges, and reds - Bard was very aware of just how enchanting it was. Everyone got the same way their first couple of sunrises and sunsets.
"So… what's your plan?" Bard questioned, moving to stand next to Rogue. They also watched the sky brighten, just glad to have made it to another day. A glance to the former-stranger showed zir eyes were glowing a breathtaking shade of magenta. They matched the sky, and Bard wanted to know if they would match at sunset as well.
"Survive until tomorrow - I've got to see this again."
Bard snorted a bit, turning as well to look up at the sky. They wanted to tell Rogue all about it - the nights where ribbons of green, blue, and purple lit the air; when stars rained down and all around; the greens and yellows of storms. There was a rainbow that they would have never seen below the ground… and Bard wanted to be there for zir every first.
So, when Rogue asked 'and you?', Bard didn't have to hesitate. But they did give it a moment, as if considering.
"…figure out a way to fix my sword." Bard had holstered the falx on their belt, not wanting it to get damaged any more than it was. They looked up at Rogue shyly, head tilted with something like a question. "It'd be easier with someone to watch my back... if you're interested."
Rogue took a half step closer to Bard. Not enough to touch, but enough for Bard to see the crinkle in their eyes that meant a smile. "Can't hurt to stick around someone else for a while."
Zir gaze shifted back to the horizon, where the sun had nearly fully risen. "So… do we pick a direction at random, or…?"
"I've been trying to get a bit further south. Helps to stay a bit warmer at night, and the food is bountiful - ohhh with your help we could go boar hunting! Or maybe some rams? Red meat!"
Bard continued to ramble on as they led the way, energy rising exponentially at the acquiring of a new friend. Some day, they'd find their way home - maybe Rogue would be able to help with that. But for today, they had found a ray of sunshine, and would be clinging to the hope that they had found for as long as possible.