The Gorgon stared at Leon and Maia in expectation, while practically ignoring Valeria. She waited for their response to her offer, to help her in exchange for being given a way to bypass all of the demonic ice between them and whatever lay to the northeast of the Forest of Black and White.

Leon wanted to say no. He didn’t want to indebt himself to yet another river nymph, even if this one was twisted and less focused on breeding than Maia had been when they’d met. Besides, there was only one place left for Justin to be in this Vale, if he was still here at all, and that was past all of this ice. And that meant that there was probably a way past it that Leon hadn’t managed to find or think of, yet.

Or maybe Justin could fly. The simplest solution was probably the likeliest.

Still, Leon could fly, too, and if push came to shove, he could always do what Xaphan had half-seriously suggested and escort Maia and Valeria out of the Vale, then proceed to try and fly over the ice, all while hoping that he wasn’t seen by any powerful winged thing that was looking for a human-shaped meal.

[Is this truly such a difficult decision to make?] the Gorgon asked, seemingly running low on patience. [If I were you, I’d want to get up there and see what was what regardless of what I had to do to get there. It’s only a little bit of blood…]

“You saying you know what’s up there?” Leon replied. The Gorgon gave him a predatory smile as soon as he said that, and he immediately wished he hadn’t.

[Are you saying that you don’t know what’s up there?] she shot back. [I’d hardly have guessed. I would’ve figured that it was your primary reason for coming back here after you’d left, to reclaim what your Ancestors left for you there. If you knew what was up there, I’d think you’d hardly need any time to deliberate.]

Leon grimaced more and more as the Gorgon made it clear that she not only remembered him from his childhood here in the Vale, but she also knew what kind of power he carried in his blood back then. Which then struck him as a little strange, since he figured she would’ve made a move against him and Artorias if she knew that much, but then again, he had little idea what her motivations were.

After a long, silent moment, Leon ignored her statement and testily asked, “For what purpose do you need my blood? We’re going to need to know that—and what’s beyond these mountains—if we’re to make a decision about whether or not to help you. We need to know that what we’ll find is worth the risk.”

[As I said before, I want your assistance in curing my Gorgonism.]

“Not specific enough, we’re going to need the details,” Leon said as he glanced at Valeria and Maia, trying once more to gauge how they were feeling about all of this. Valeria seemed a little more relaxed, though she was keeping her glaive up and at the ready, while Maia still stared at her twisted kin with stony determination and a robust aura. If the Gorgon made even the smallest of moves against them, he knew that Maia would attack in an instant without hesitation.

[I think it was your power specifically that woke me up,] the Gorgon said to him, confirming at least some of what was already going through his head. [The rest of the injuries helped, of course, but I think it was all that lightning that you used that made my current lucidity possible in the first place. I’m going to need a little bit of your blood, which, when combined with the magic-repressing qualities of this place, as well as a few other ingredients I’ve gathered over the years, might be enough for me to brew a potion to aid me in regaining my former body for good and without the usual restrictions inherent to river nymphs.

[The power it contains could banish the mental aspects of Gorgonism permanently, if enhanced properly. That is what I want, and what I’m now asking you for, rather than trying to take it…]

Leon almost refused outright. It was on the tip of his tongue, all it would take would be a single, ‘no’. Her implied threat only made him even angrier, even if he knew that she was fully capable of following through.

But then he glanced at Maia and saw her staring back him, her lake blue eyes locking him in place.

[I don’t think she’s intending anything that would harm you,] the river nymph said. [Giving her your blood would be safe.]

Leon grimaced, suddenly unsure of his decision.

[Why do you say that?] he asked.

[I… believe her,] Maia simply replied. [She’s not lying, I would stake my life upon it. And if she can cure Gorgonism… it would mean much to my—our—people.]

Leon’s grimace turned into a full-on scowl. [Do you think she’d consent to an oath upon her true name?]

The true names of river nymphs he’d learned were much like human Mana Glyphs. They could be used to directly influence someone else’s soul realm, and oaths sworn upon them would wreak terrible and potentially irreversible damage upon the oathbreaker. As a result, they were rarely used, for such a risk was not one that most people were comfortable with.

But Leon wanted assurances that his blood wasn’t going to be mismanaged.

[You’d have to ask her, it depends on how desperate or motivated she is.]

Leon slowly nodded.

Directing his attention back to the Gorgon, he asked out loud, “I’m not entirely opposed to giving you some of my blood, but I have some conditions that I hope you can agree to.”

[Is being led to the place beyond the ice not enough?] the Gorgon asked with a knowing smile.

“I can’t say, I don’t know what’s out there.” Leon glanced north, the fields and great curtain of ice blocking his vision of what was nestled in the Frozen Mountains, his expression briefly turning to one of yearning and desire. He wanted to see what was being protected up there.

The Gorgon’s smile faltered a little, and she asked, [What conditions are you speaking of?]

“A pledge that my blood will be used for this potion of yours, and only that potion, as well as the recipe for the potion you intend to brew,” Leon stated. He caught Valeria looking at him out of the corner of his eye, reminding him of the entire reason why they’d come to the Vale in the first place, so he added, “And while I’m not going to demand it, I would appreciate your assistance in a matter of some personal significance.”

[I can agree to the first,] the Gorgon said exasperatedly, [but your ‘request’ will have to be more specific. I will not be making any blank promises.]

Leon smiled. “I understand. The main reason why we’re here is because we’re trying to track some missing people that came to this Vale not too long ago. Do you remember any humans who may have come here recently that possessed eighth-tier strength?”

The Gorgon’s smile turned somewhat predatory and her eyes for the first time flickered in Valeria’s direction. [About four months ago, a group of six humans arrived, led by a human mage of the eighth-tier. He was well-built, handsome, and had hair the same color as hers.]

Leon didn’t see or hear Valeria react, and for that he silently praised her self-control. He didn’t know if he could maintain his stoicism if they were talking about his father, and that she didn’t even blink impressed the hells out of him.

Pressing for details, Leon asked, “Can you tell us anything else about what he may have been doing? About where he might be right now?”

[I’m afraid not,] the Gorgon responded. [His power was enough that I wasn’t going to approach them too closely. I did watch them from afar, though, and saw them exploring your old home and the western reaches of the Vale. After a few days, another group arrived, doubling their number, and they set off for the west. They seemed to run into some trouble, though, for the next time I saw them, four of their number were gone, and one of their strongest was fleeing to the west—a blond woman at the seventh-tier, I believe. She made it out of the Vale, but I watched those who remained be slowly picked off by the wilder locals over the next few days.]

“Did the silver-haired man fall in battle?” Leon asked.

[Not that I saw,] the Gorgon replied. [I last saw him and his last surviving companion travel back to your old home and leave something behind, a piece of paper, I think. Then, they ventured back out to the east. I lost track of them not too long after. I believe this was about… oh, three months ago?]

“I see…” Leon whispered. “And you have no idea at all of where these two went?”

[I do not,] the Gorgon replied. [They were not after me, so I left them alone.]

‘Wish you extended the same courtesy to us,’ Leon thought with a light frown.

“So,” he continued out loud, “would you be willing to swear to me that—”

[No,] the Gorgon immediately replied. [My true name is mine alone. If you do not trust me so much that you would ask me to make such an oath, then… we’re going to have problems. I’d understand, but we’d have problems, nonetheless. An accord between the two of us of a more mundane variety will have to do.]

Fighting the urge to click his tongue, Leon said, “I suppose that’s how it’s going to be, then. We’ll have to trust each other’s word. How much blood do you need?”

[Not much, perhaps enough to fill this container.] The Gorgon conjured a stone bowl small enough to fit in her palm. It was shallow, relatively speaking, but since Leon was going to be the one filling it, it looked worryingly deep.

“We… we can get that filled after you show us the way past the ice. Once it’s filled, I would like you to explain the recipe for the potion you intend to make.”

The Gorgon took a deep breath, appearing as if she were steeling herself for something, or fighting to keep something else down. Her slitted reptilian eyes found Leon and held his gaze, and he began to feel a slight change in her aura. It was subtle, nothing too big, nothing to be concerned about, but still enough that he was able to notice.

[I might need a blast of your lightning before we begin,] she said.

Leon neither asked for confirmation nor hesitated. He conjured a bolt of silver-blue lightning in his hand and hurled it with all the force he could bring to bear, though he tempered his attack enough to aim at the ground in front of the Gorgon. She was still caught up in the lightning explosion, but it was hardly as damaging as it could’ve been if the bolt had hit her.

Once their ears stopped ringing from the thunder and the arcs of lightning cleared up, the Gorgon simply smiled, seemingly unfazed, and said, [I think we could’ve found another way, but that worked well enough, I suppose. Now, then, follow me.]

She then slithered off into the forest without another look at any of them, as if she didn’t even care if they were following her or not.

“All riiiiight,” Leon said, letting out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding as the Gorgon put some distance between herself and them. “Everyone good? Is this everything we want? I’d say this is the last chance we might have to change anything or to propose a different plan before we cross a point of no return…”

Maia just looked at him and said, [I want to see this through. I want to know what she has learned about Gorgonism.]

Valeria seemed likewise willing to follow through with what Leon had asked for. “Thank you for asking about my father,” she said, finally letting herself relax as the Gorgon continued to slither away. “She didn’t give us the best news, but it was something. Now, I need to know if he’s somewhere past all of this ice. He doesn’t seem to be anywhere else, so…”

She trailed off, not wanting to finish her sentence, but Leon knew what she was getting at. They’d already found Rhea and who Leon assumed to be Justin’s last remaining seventh-tier mage dead, which meant that Justin’s chances of continued survival were not great. The chances of him being past this ice were also not great, but he could completely understand why Valeria was clinging to this hope right now.

Personally, though, he felt some small satisfaction in knowing that Justin’s entire party had perished up here. It had felt like they were trespassing on holy ground for him, but knowing the losses they’d suffered went a long way to assuaging the offense he felt. Now, he was mostly motivated by seeing whatever it was in the northeast more than wanting to actually find Justin. If anything, he felt like it would just be in everyone’s best interest if they were to find the man dead somewhere.

“Well, if we’re all on the same page, then we should go catch up before she leaves us behind,” Leon said, directing them after the Gorgon. All three set off after her, moving at a steady clip northeast toward the barrier of demonic ice.