Space Core

POV: Certe

Did you know that to get food, one needs to work? I didn't, well I did... but I hadn't thought that it would be that much work. It had been around a week since we arrived in the small village. And since Jerome needed food, I had sent him off to make money and all that. He'd found a rather strange job as a 'Mail-Man'.

And now, with Jerome working, I was feeling rather lonely. Sure, as a goddess I had often been alone, but now... I had grown used to Jerome being around. This was why I was currently roaming around the village, searching for some way to easily get money for the both of us. Loud voices announcing their wares, packed dirt being walked on, distant hits of a blacksmith's hammer, all those sounds blending into a slurry of sounds.

Almost an overwhelming amount of sound.

I continued through the streets, finding little scenes of everyday life in each and every single corner. A man was feeding a horse here, a few teens were getting scolded by their parents for being too reckless, a few birds stole some food from a merchant leaving him cursing.

It was all so loud... and yet so calm. But still so loud.

I continued on my way, searching, and conversations from those around me reached my ears.

"-m telling you! It was only 16 gold yester-"

"-till bet that you can't lick your elbo-"

"-'The game'? I don't think I've ever heard of that one befo-"

"-ook carefully, I should be passing by any mome-"

"-nly 3 silver for this freshly grilled fis-"

And on and on it went. I couldn't keep hold of any single conversation, the voices drowned by the sea of others. I was passing by an alley when, all of a sudden, a bright light caught my eyes. I turned my head towards the alley, and the only thing I could see was some piece of parchment on the ground. It was surprisingly clean for where it was...

I decided it wouldn't hurt to take a look and approached it. The parchment was fairly normal, if a bit roughed up, on it a message stood. "Hello Certe, I know what you're looking for. Go to the tower and find a patch of gravel, dig it up and take the content."

I jumped back from the paper in fright. Someone knew. This was bad. Extremely bad. What if someone on the council knew? What if they told Terse? What if they sealed me inside this form and took me to The prison?

The loud voices around me seemed to intensify, blurring into indecipherable noise.

What if they took Jerome?

The noise grew louder as if clawing itself into my head through my ears.

What if they killed Jerome?

The noise was everywhere, a constant, crawling on my back and pooling at my paws.

What if- What if they, just, did SOMETHING? I needed to do something, to escape, to- to-

I was suddenly scooped up into familiar arms, Jerome cradling me against his chest. the sound of his heartbeat a rhythm not present anywhere else. I suddenly realized that I was trembling. I suddenly realized that I was quite tired. I fell asleep.