A Mystery

"Is she going to be okay?" Camilla looks worried as you set Eve down on the captain's bed.

"I think so. But that's not what worries me." You take a step back in your human form, staring concernedly at the goblin. "It seems like she's getting some of her memory back, but...whatever it was seems like it broke her..."

"Why would she do that to herself?" The brunet scratches her head as she moves to stand next to you, also staring at Eve's sleeping body.

"She said something about a promise? And that she couldn't come back, but that's all I got. She was already pretty weak by the time I found her."

"What kind of promise makes you stab yourself? That doesn't make any sense!"

"You're telling me." You shake your head. "But...on the way back, I was able to do some thinking. Don't tell her I said this, but Kristhyra has scars on her stomach, too. Gilford said it was something about not breeding more goblins."

A look of confusion and horror appears on her face. "Oh, gods..." Her hand falls to her own gut before she glances at you and crosses her arms again. "But...I can't say it doesn't make sense...but that's only for Kristhyra. It doesn't make sense for Eve to do it."

You nod. "I know, but another thing is that she was probably pregnant, too. It could be possible that she tried to **** a miscarriage."

Camilla snorts. "Is she that 'loyal' to you?"

You squint at the captain. "Do...do you have a problem with Eve?"

She gives you an odd look. "You can't say you haven't noticed. She's obsessed with you. She's never disagreed with you, never complained about you, and between that and her chair comment the other day, I'm pretty sure she has a thing for you."

"Okay, well, I am her chief, and she also has the Mark of Submission, and she's...it's probably just the sex..." You pause for a moment. "Wait, are you jealous?"

"What? Why would I be jealous of her?" She looks away, but not fast enough to hide the blush in her cheeks.

You chuckle. "Ignoring that, let's back on topic. She could have tried to miscarry, but...I don't think that's all. Has she ever promised anything to you?"

The brunet recomposes herself. "No, she hasn't. And I'm guessing she hasn't promised you anything either. My next guess would be Kara, or maybe another goblin but that still doesn't explain anything."

You sigh. "I guess I need to ask Kristhyra, even if it's a sore subject for her."

"Or you could wait until Eve wakes up and ask her. Not saying that's the better option, though."

"Of course that's the better option, but what if she doesn't even remember? I'm no expert with amnesia, but it's entirely possible she doesn't have any context for her breakdown. Then we'll be just as in the dark as we are now." You step toward the front door. "Would you be willing to keep an eye on her while I talk to Kristhyra?"

The captain sighs. "Yeah, I can. Just be careful with her. It hasn't even been a whole day since you brought her back."

"I know, I know. I'll be gentle." You open the door and nearly step out before Camilla speaks up again.

"Oh, and by the way, Kara's parents want to have us at dinner tonight."

You cock an eyebrow. "Uh...okay? I don't know why I'm invited, if you're the one dating their daughter..."

"That's what I said!" She raises her hands in confusion. "Apparently it's some kind of thing from their culture. So, if you could, stick around for dinner today."

"Will do, I guess. Any idea on when I should expect it?"

"Evening? I'm not sure, but just make sure you're ready a couple hours before sundown."

"Got it. Well, see you then, I guess." You wave goodbye and close the door behind you.

"I sent her back to Garth's. After the brawl outside, she started to panic."

You sigh, but then remember Gilford was the one who told you about the scars in the first place. "Maybe you could help me, though. Has Kris mentioned anything about her scars?"

The priest thinks for a moment. "I don't think she has. She doesn't like talking about her party, you know."

"I know, I know. But the thing is, Eve tried doing the same thing to herself. I'm not saying it's connected, but with Eve ****, I can't exactly ask her about them." You lean forward in the pew, elbows on your knees.

"Do you think this has to do with her memory loss?" Gilford scratches his chin.

"I wouldn't be surprised, but finding out how they're connected is a different story. She said something about needing to keep a promise, and something else about not being able to come back." You twiddle your thumbs. "Neither of which we have any context on."

"I'm afraid I can't help much. That type of scarring isn't rare for women captured by monsters. Even some men are brave enough to castrate themselves. It's gotten to the point where more intelligent monsters rarely give a chance to...do that." He takes a breath. "It's horrible, really."

You wipe your face with both hands. "I couldn't imagine living in this world as a regular human..."

Gilford pauses a moment. "It's not as bad if you live in towns. Despite our meager militia, we've rarely been attacked if we stay near town, and it's even rarer if you stay within the walls of a city. We're close enough to Recuan that we're mostly safe. Riverbend itself has only been attacked twice within the last year, since the goblins are smart enough to avoid it."

You sigh. "Still. If my home were this bad...let's just say I'd have taken this a lot more seriously at the start." I started out just trying to talk to Sakurai, to figure out what even happened, to let her know she wasn't alone... "Anyway, I should go see if Kristhyra is willing to talk to me after what happened with Eve. Thanks for your time, and if you need any help in here, let me know, okay?" You stand, making your way to the doorway.

"Kristhyra? Are you okay?" You knock on her door, only for it to creak open. You open it wider, to find she's not even in the room. You enter, confirming once more that she's not there. Where could she have gone? You glance out the window, hoping that trope where you can see the missing person out the window is true for once. Unfortunately, all you see out in the tree line is...more trees. You sigh. To be expected...but that doesn't explain where she could be...