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Thea suddenly opened her eyes, feeling someone's lips on her's. She pushed the person off her only to violently cough up water all over the floor of the cave they were in. Part of her couldn't believe that she was still alive, she was sure that was going to be the end, but here she was, still breathing and almost frozen stiff. She looked straight to the very person who saved her life. "H-Hilda? What were you doing to me?!" She immediately questioned her.

"Something I learned from a fisherman. I was getting you breathing again." Hilda replied as she sat down on her rear, crossing her legs as she stared down to the floor. "Our stuff was weighing us down. Had to get rid of our backpacks. Our torches, our food, our tents, everything is fucking gone..."

Thea noticed that Hilda was still absolutely drenched, water dripping off the dwarf's red hair. Hilda must have saved her only a minute or two ago. The alakazam was really starting to feel the effects of the cold water she was soaked in, but still, she managed to get her words out. "Hilda..."

"What?" The dwarf sharply asked as she raised her head, looking right back into the alakazam's eyes. She still hadn't forgotten about their disagreements, and she wasn't so happy that Thea thought she was doing something sexual with her whilst she was out. At least that's what she assumed was going through the monk's head when she opened her eyes.

"Thank you for saving me. I know I wouldn't have survived if you weren't here." Thea told her, genuinely thankful for what the dwarf had done for her.

"I did think about leaving you to drown. But, fuck, I had a chance to save you so I fucking went for it. If we're not going to watch each other's backs down here, then we're as good as dead." Hilda had a lot of anger issues, but she wasn't stupid. She knew that she might need Thea to one day return the favor.

Thea then stood up, looking around. She saw the river about twenty feet away, still illuminated by the bright red glow worms. Thea then looked behind her, seeing a passage way that looked completely natural. Fortunately, there were more glow worms clinging to the ceiling, so their path forwards was illuminated. It was good to know that perhaps they wouldn't have to venture back into the dangerous water of the cave. Now that she knew they had somewhere to go, she looked back to Hilda. It was then, a very important question came to mind. "Where are the others?"

The last time Hilda saw the two of them, they had just resurfaced after getting thrown out of the boat. "Not got a fucking clue... I think they got swept further down the river, or that thing got them." Hilda told her as she sat there, shivering. She was absolutely freezing. She knew that they were both at risk of hypothermia, especially wearing these soaked clothes. They needed to find blankets, or perhaps even fire. She decided to stand up, and press on, walking deeper into the cave. "L-let's keep going." She stuttered.

Thea followed the dwarf, knowing it was best to stick by the experienced fighter's side. Already, her teeth began to chatter too. She hugged herself as she pressed on. Thankfully, these glow worms seemed to be plentiful, but the deeper they went, the less of them they began to see. However, there seemed to be a light at the end of the passage way they were traveling through. "I c-can't see the floor..." Thea whispered.

"Just press your hand to the wall, a-and keep moving." Hilda knew that this was extremely dangerous, but she didn't see any other choice. It was either this, or wait for help to come, which was something that may never happen. At least this way, just by keeping mobile, they were warming themselves up a little. Still, they were wearing soaking wet clothes so any movement they made really didn't matter in the end. As they kept moving, they got closer, and closer to the source of the light. Much like light from the glow worms, the light was red. The end of the passage way they followed led into a room that very well might save their lives. "We got fucking lucky." Hilda said with a smile on her face as she made her way into the room

Thea smiled as she followed the dwarf in. The room was made up of big solid rectangular blocks for the walls, and square shaped slabs for the floor. To the right and left, there were wooden doors. Scattered around the room were wooden crates, empty by the looks of them. In the middle however, there was a tent set up. Looked big enough for the two of them. Resting near by the tent was a bottle of red goo, giving off a red glow. It reminded her of the glow worms they saw. "What do you think that is?" She asked Hilda.

Hilda looked to the bottle for a second. "My guess? Someone probably thought those glow worms would make for a good lantern." She replied, before then starting to get out of her soaking wet clothes. Right in front of Thea, she took off her breast plate, resting it on a nearby crate as she then proceeded to take off her leather coat, leaving her in just a wet gray cloth shirt. She then took that off too, revealing her breasts. She noticed Thea immediately turning her back to her. "What? Never seen another woman's tits before?" She asked, as she then got curious. Did Thea's kind even have breasts?

"No, I have not!" She sharply replied. She knew that if they didn't get undressed, their shivering would only get worse and worse until they really suffer from hypothermia. But it didn't mean that she had to see the dwarf's breasts.

"Really? Huh, thought you monks would all bathe together. Well go on, get yourself undressed, or you'll freeze to fucking death in that soaked robe." Hilda was not shy, she saw this as a desperate situation which she intended to get through. Without another thought, she began taking off her heavy water filled boots. It felt much better to be out of those. Then, she pulled her leather trousers right down to her ankles, and stepped out of them. Her pubes were a slightly darker shade of red. She stood there, looking to Thea.

Thea felt like this was perverse. Her religion was generally strict on matters of intimacy, but she knew this wasn't some intimate moment. They were only getting naked as to lower the risk of hypothermia. But still, getting undressed in front of someone felt wrong to her. She began disrobing, pulling her robes over her head before then setting them neatly aside. She covered her womanhood with one hand as she looked back to Hilda. She had to admit, she was a good looking woman. She felt bad about even thinking that way. "W-we should get inside the tent." She stuttered, not because she was cold, but because she was nervous. It had been ages since she had been naked in front of anyone.

Hilda decided to go in first, that way if there were any nasty surprises, she could handle it. She crawled inside and checked what was inside the tent. Whoever was here before them must not have had any bed rolls, because there was instead some sort of cotton material covering the floor. It was better than sleeping on the cold hard floor at least. As she checked the interior of the tent, she couldn't help but feel someone's eyes on her. She quickly looked back just in time to see Thea averting her gaze. Was Thea staring at her when she wasn't looking? "No bed rolls, but it's better than nothing." She said as she lay on her side. "Come in."

Thea hesitantly looked back to the dwarf, before then crawling in herself. She lay on her side, her back facing Hilda. For a while, she didn't say anything, not until she started shivering all over again. "T-this tent doesn't help at all..."

"There is a way to keep us both warm." Hilda suggested, thinking that the monk would get what she means. She knew that Thea might not be comfortable with it, but if they wanted to come out of this without one hell of a nasty cold, this was the way it had to be.

"What do you mean?" Thea quietly questioned her, wanting a little more clarification on just what she meant.

"Share body heat." She told her, wondering if she would go through with it. She saw no reason why she wouldn't, but she knew some people would be stubborn about other people touching their bodies.

Thea thought about it, and in the end, it was just to survive. It wasn't hurting any one. So she decided do what needed to be done. She backed up a little, feeling Hilda's skin against her back. When she first met the violent dwarf, she never thought that she would be stuck in this situation with her. She didn't say anything, not wanting to make this whole situation any more awkward than it already was. She felt the dwarf pressing her body against her back. It was then she noticed something, she could feel Hilda's hard nipples. She knew that she shouldn't be too surprised after taking a dip in an icy cold river, but still, it made this whole situation so much more awkward. What made it even more awkward was that she was actually beginning to like this. She could already feel the warmth emanating from Hilda's body. Her skin felt so good against her's. She was beginning to feel like it was a little sinful to enjoy something like this. "The other monks wouldn't be happy if they could see us like this..."

"The other monks can go fuck themselves. Not like we're doing anything together besides staying alive." Hilda replied to her. She didn't see this as anything but survival, but she could see how people would think there is something going on between them if they walked in right now.

Thea knew that what she was saying was true, but still, she did feel bad just by being so close to someone like this. To take her mind off all this, she decided to ask Hilda a few things. She didn't know much about the dwarf besides the fact that she was a grave robber, and a sellsword. "You said you grew up in a fortress in the mountains. What was it called?"

"Whitespire." Hilda simply responded. Whitespire was up in the northwest, it was one mountain out of many. Whitespire was both a name for the fortress, and the mountain itself. It had been years since she had been there.

"What was it like there?" Thea inquired.

"Hell. There were lower levels, where the poor fester along with the shit that drips on them from the higher levels. The only good thing about being right at the very bottom, is that you will never get cold. There is a big fucking lake of lava down on the lowest level." Speaking about it triggered some memories that were once forgotten. She remembered the first time she saw that lake, she was scared that it would kill them all. That perhaps one day, it would start overflowing, and kill her in her sleep.

"Isn't living next to something like that dangerous?" Thea asked, not being an expert on these things but she didn't think it sounded safe.

"Very fucking dangerous..." Hilda sighed as she remembered everything about being in that place again. It got easy, ignoring the danger from the lava lake when there was much more immediate danger around. "Not because it might overflow, but because people would threaten to throw you in if you didn't pay them protection money. I fucking hated it down there."

Thea thought that it sounded absolutely horrible, she couldn't help but wonder what her parents were doing there. "Did your parents try to get you out of there? It sounds like a horrible place for a child to be."

"My parent tried to get me out..." She stopped herself. The memories just became too painful to bare, so then she started to turn her mind to a different thought. "Why the fuck do you care about my past anyway?"

Thea could tell Hilda was starting to get angry, but maybe that was a form of defence for her. Maybe she was hiding behind a shield of hatred to guard her true feelings. Either way, she wanted to calm her down. "Because I want us to be friends..."

Hilda was actually a little surprised at her response. "You want to be friends, with me?" She questioned her. Besides Janus, she was probably the least social person around. She didn't like to keep friends, they only slowed her down.

"Yes, I do. You saved me...I will never forget that." Thea told the dwarf, meaning what she said. She had a feeling that she would always owe Hilda that debt.

"I've also killed plenty of people too." Hilda quickly reminded her. "Trust me, you don't want to be my friend."

"You can't be too bad, or you would've let me die." Thea pointed out with a faint smile on her face. She believed that there was a little bit of good in everyone.

"I said I thought about it..." Hilda responded.

"But you didn't let me die." Thea firmly said to her, thinking that perhaps Hilda thought she was more of a monster than she actually was. It showed that she still had a conscience.

Hilda stayed silent for a moment, thinking to herself. She knew nothing about the monk, but Hilda was never the type to pry into people's pasts. The past to her was dead and buried, no need to dig it up. She wasn't really the talkative type, only speaking when she thought something was noteworthy, or being spoken to. "Just hope that a walking nightmare doesn't kill us in our sleep."

"I will keep one eye open." Thea replied as she just lay there, listening to the ambient noise of the place. She could still hear the faint sound of the water nearby. It only made her wonder if the other two made it out alive. For all she knew, they may have drowned, or been eaten by that hideous creature. As she thought about the creature, it was then that she started to think back to something she read in the journal. Something about the dwarves bringing an onix. Was it possible that onix was somehow twisted into that terrible creature? It scared her to think that her body could be corrupted and used for evil, but she was sure that with Arceus guiding her, she will do what needs to be done.

Hilda was feeling warmer already. Getting out of those soaked clothes was definitely a good decision, she would hate to deal with a cold whilst smashing skulls. Slowly she began to close her eyes. Usually, people would have trouble sleeping in a place like this, but not her. It wasn't the first time she has slept in dangerous places before. Just as she was about to get some sleep, she heard Thea questioning her once again.

"Do you have someone? A partner waiting for you somewhere perhaps?" Thea inquired. Not wanting to fall asleep, she decided to keep her mind busy. Although only after she asked that question did she realize what poor timing she had.

Hilda sighed before answering the monk. "You want to ask me this now? While we're naked together? No, I don't have a partner..."

"I apologize, I-I was just curious." Thea replied as she let her mind wonder once again. "... Have you ever had a partner?"

"Thea, stop. Don't ask me questions like that. I don't ask you questions like that." Hilda firmly responded, not wanting to get into the past. Especially her past with partners.

"You could ask me about my past, I have nothing to hide." Thea told her. "I have done things I regret, but I will speak about them. Speaking about things that have hurt us can sometimes help."

"And the rest of the time, it only brings back the fucking pain. Digging up the past is as 'bout useful as a whore that can't fuck." Hilda sharply responded.

"I know it hurts to talk about the past, but it does help. Believe me." Thea whispered to the dwarf, hoping she would listen. "What about if we trade?"

A trade quickly got Hilda's attention. As much as she didn't like speaking about the past, if gold was involved, she would talk for the right price. "What are you trading?" She asked, wondering what a monk could possibly have on her to trade.

"A past, for a past. I will speak about my past, if you share yours with me." Thea suggested. She genuinely believed that talking about the past might actually help Hilda in the long run.

"You're fucking determined to find out more about me, aren't you?" Hilda was starting to get worn down by the monk's constant pestering. Talking was starting to look appealing, only to get the monk to shut up for a little while. "Fine, I will talk. But not about my partner." The dwarf put extra emphasis on the word, not. "Go on then, ask."

Thea was surprised she actually got Hilda to say she would speak about her past. She still wasn't going to talk about her partner, but she could understand how that might be a sore topic for anyone. "When you said parent, does that mean you were only brought up with one parent?"

"Yeah, my mother... She wasn't a good fighter, but she kept me safe enough. After she died, I had no fucking reason to hang around in Whitespire. I left that place behind, with my mother on my back..."

That last part threw Thea for a second. "Whilst she was dead?" She asked.

"I didn't want her body to be left in that fucking place. She spent her whole fucking life in that hell. She was always talking about leaving, but it never happened. I decided to give her what she couldn't have in life." That was one thing Hilda was actually proud of, and why she didn't mind talking about it as much as some other events in her life.

Thea could see why Hilda acted the way she did. It sounded as if she had to be tough to survive that place. "What happened to her body?" She asked, curious as to how dwarves deal with their dead.

"I buried her at sea... I know she would've liked that better than dumping her body in a lake of lava anyway." Hilda spoke a little quieter when talking about her mother. There were very few people that she had ever really cared about in this world, and she was one of them. "I think it's your turn to start talking."

The monk knew it was only fair, a past for a past. "What do you want to know about me?" Thea asked.

Hilda wondered what she should ask her. She wasn't exactly desperate to know everything about her, but curious enough to ask a question in return. "Were you always so religious?" She bluntly asked.

Thea giggled a little at that question. "Not at all. I wasn't born with religious parents, not even the parents of my parents were religious. This was a path I chose for myself, after a difficult time in my life. I... I wasn't as nice as I could've been, and I regret that. I used to drink a lot, do things I was ashamed of. So many things were going through by head at the time, I started feeling as if living life was a struggle within itself..."

Hilda noticed how her tone soon changed. She got the feeling that Thea was keeping something hidden away from her. She also remembered how Thea rejected the ale when she was offered some. Now she knew why she rejected it. "What pushed you to religion then?" She asked.

"I was looking for answers, like why was I like that? Why can the world be such a horrible place sometimes? How can people do such horrible things, then hate themselves about it later if they aren't evil? That is when I found the church of light, of Arceus. I learned that evil isn't just in monsters, it is in all of us. The demons try to corrupt us, change us into something we don't want to be." Thea explained.

"Sounds like an excuse people use to get out of feeling guilty." Hilda replied. She had done plenty of things she wasn't proud of, but she accepted it was her actions, not the actions of some demonic being. Personally, she thought that religion was a load of shit, but she wasn't about to start an argument over it. At least not yet.

"I know a lot of people think that, and in some cases, it may be true. But I believe that the majority of people are in fact driven to do things they don't want to do by demonic entities. I wanted to help people deal with their grief, with their past. I believe it is never too late to save a corrupted soul..." Thea told her.

"I hate to break this to you...but I am sure that any corrupted soul in this place is far beyond saving." Hilda wasn't about to try talking someone out of swinging a sword at her. If someone attacked her, she was going to make sure that she killed them first.

"What about the mutilated man? We saved him in a way. We saved him from an eternity of living hell. That alone was worth the trip here." Thea disliked killing anything, but that mutilated man's case was a special one. Killing him was the kindest thing they could do for him. "I think it is my turn to ask a question now, unless you would like to stop."

Hilda thought about stopping it right now, but so long as the question wasn't too personal, she would answer it. "Go on then, ask."

Thea already had a question in mind, something that had been on her mind since Hilda pulled her out if the water and brought her back to the land of the living. "Do you still hate me?"

A faint sigh escaped the dwarf's lips. "I don't really hate you... You would know if I really hated you. Some of the things you do, and say annoy me, but I don't want you dead... You're not a bad person..."

While a lot of people would take offense at how the dwarf said she was annoying, she couldn't really complain. She saved her life after all, and that was something she wouldn't be forgetting any time soon. Besides, if she had been through what Hilda has been through, then maybe she would have a bitter view on the world too. "Thank you..."

Hilda went quite for a moment, before then thinking of her next question. "How old are you?" She asked, only just realizing she had no idea how old the monk really was. She guessed she couldn't be too old though, but she was never really good at pinning a pokemon's age. She guessed perhaps somewhere in her twenties, but that was just guessing by the sound of her voice.

"I'm thirty-two. How old are you?" She asked, now curious to know just how old this dwarf was.

"Somewhere in my mid twenties, not sure exactly how old though. If I had to guess, maybe...twenty-five. Birthdays, or name days were nothing special where I come from. Not when you're poor as dirt." She told the monk, as another question sprung to mind. She had told Thea quite a bit about where she came from, yet she knew nothing about where this female pokemon came from. "Where are you from?"

Thea smiled a little, feeling happy that she had somehow managed to get the dwarf curious enough to start asking, and answering questions. "I come from a small place called Reedorden. It is a coastal village down southwest. There were a lot of water related races there, a lot of fishermen too."

A confused expression then spread across Hilda's face. "But you can't swim?"

"The water always scared me...especially after some kids pushed me in when I was still young myself..." Thea could still remember how they laughed at first, and then they panicked, and ran when they knew she was drowning. She was lucky that there was some else around to save her. "I never went near water again after that, til now."

"Kids can be cunts." Hilda remembered just how cruel the kids she grew up with could be. Then again, they had to be cruel if they wanted to try drag themselves up to the top.

Thea let out a brief giggle. "Yes, they can be." She then moved on to her next question. "Do you ever think about the people you kill?"

"Some of them, I can't stop thinking about...Some of them, I regret killing. But then there's some I wish I had killed slower, make them really fucking suffer...like the first one I killed. I will never forget that bastard. I was only about eleven, or ten, I don't know exactly. But anyway, I saw him...attacking my mother. His back was turned, and I..." Hilda thought about cutting this story a little short, it felt a little too personal. she was starting to regret even bringing it up. But she had started telling her already, so she thought that she might as well finish it. "I heard my mother screaming at me to run away, but I couldn't. I don't think he thought I was much of a threat, he just looked backed at me, and then continued what he was doing... I ran up to him, and pulled a dagger off his belt. He turned around just in time to see me stab him right in the mouth. He tried to stop me, but I just kept stabbing at his face. There was so much blood, I couldn't even see his eyes anymore. My mother was too weak to stop me too, or maybe she didn't want to stop me..."

This was so horrible, Thea could see why she was so hesitant to open up. "You don't have to talk about anymore if you don't want to..." She tell just by the tone of her voice that it wasn't easy for her to speak about.

Hilda stopped for a moment, before then continuing on. "Then there's the ones I kill in self defence, I don't think about them much because all it comes down to is me, or them... So to answer your question, it depends."

Thea felt sorry for Hilda. Maybe if she was brought up somewhere else, she could have found another way to live. Maybe she could've been a hunter instead of a sellsword. She waited for Hilda's next question, but it didn't come, so she went ahead, and asked her another question. "Do you ever wish you could be something else? Like a blacksmith perhaps?"

"Maybe when I was younger... But I have gotten too good at killing. I don't think I could ever do anything else that doesn't involve ending another person's life. I don't get off on it, but it's all I am good for... After a while, it just seems normal. It's strange...I felt sick the first time I killed someone. I couldn't stop crying, even though I knew that he deserved what he's got. If I had the same mentality I have now, back then, I would've enjoyed ending him. I do wish I could be something else, but I never will be anything more than a killer."

"But you've already proven you can be, you saved my life. You didn't have to do that, but you did... You would make a good guard. Maybe, when I go back to my town, you could come with me." Thea suggested, wanting to do something good for her. After getting to know her a little better, she believed that the dwarf genuinely had a good heart. She just needed someone to show her that she could do something else other than kill.

"Come with you? Why would you want me to do that?" She asked, not sure what the alakazam was planning.

"I could tell the captain of the guards that you saved my life. I would imagine that would get their attention, and my recommendation would most likely aid you in getting a job you may like." Thea told her, hoping Hilda would take her up on that offer.

Hilda was a little surprised by her suggestion. It was very rare that anyone ever did anything for her. "I...am not sure what to say to that. You think they would really give me a job? A woman?" She asked, knowing that many places around the world were still very patriarchal.

"I do not know, but if they don't take you, then I am sure the other monks will happily take you in when I bring you with me." Thea told her.

"What? You know I am not a religious sort of person." Hilda quickly reminded her.

"I know, but even monks need protection. If something bad were to happen...I believe you would be the right person to protect us."

Hilda almost couldn't believe what she was hearing. "You would trust a sellsword with all your lives?" She honestly thought that the monk was a little crazy for trusting someone like her. She wouldn't trust someone like herself.

"I trust you with my life... I know you're not a bad person. A bad person wouldn't save someone like me... I know I am not the strongest, or even bravest of people, but you still saved me anyway. And you didn't do it for gold, or anything else. You don't have to be a sellsword all your life... Please, at least consider coming with me." Thea's religion was a life saver for her. Now, she wanted to return the favour to the world, and help Hilda have a better life. Circumstances had led Hilda down the path she walked, but now, Thea hoped she could lead her down a happier path.

Hilda took a moment to seriously consider this. If she didn't find what she was looking for down here, maybe it would be a good idea to go with Thea. Maybe then, she could perhaps get a chance at having what most other people have. "Alright, after this is all done, I will come with you. Just...don't try converting me."

"I won't." Thea knew trying would probably only piss the dwarf off. Besides, maybe it was fate that she met this woman. Perhaps it was all some divine plan for the two of them to meet and join forces. She wasn't sure, but she felt the least she could do for Hilda was give her a place to stay.

Hilda closed her eyes once more, trying to get some sleep. Hopefully, she would actually get some this time. "Hm, if you're not going to sleep, you can keep your eyes and ears open. Make sure no one tries to sneak up on us. When you're ready to sleep, just wake me up and I will keep watch."

"I will. Goodnight, Hilda." Thea politely responded.

It felt weird to Hilda, hearing someone say goodnight to her. Then again, it also felt weird sleep naked next to someone. "Goodnight." She simply replied, before then drifting off to sleep.

---

Author's note: Okay, so as some of you might have noticed, this chapter is quite a bit longer than the others. I figured I had best put all this as one chapter because it was mostly back story on the two of them. As for what's happened to Janus and Robin, well, you will just have to see! Thank you again to Zarfy, and BigBossSonic. And if you're reading this, then that means you're awesome. :)