Chapter 34: The Huntress
While I told Sunny to scope out the area with his shadows, I summoned the armor I had made and felt it comfortably embrace me.
I named the armor [Scavengers Apparel] and the sword [Deadly Whistle]. The names weren't all that important, but since others could see the names of memories, like the one Sunny fought in the dreamscape, it would have been less suspicious to wear it.
The armor nestled itself over the shroud, and it was definitely heavier than I expected.
But with three soul cores present, it was barely a problem, so I simply looked it over and went to the edge of the wall. Hearing footsteps, I saw that Nephis was approaching me.
Giving me her usual expressionless face, she looked over my armor and then at the looming catle that stood far into the distance.
"Did you plan all of this?" she simply questioned, to which I gave her a side glance.
'>>She's gotten more talkative.<<' Regis sent over to me as he finished saturating his core and nearly depleted mine completely.
'[Definitely, my influence changed the relationships between everyone.]' I sent over solemnly, to which Regis paused for a moment.
'>>You're still feeling guilty about it<<' Stopping the transmission, I turned to Nephis.
"What do you mean?" she looked down and sighed.
"I mean everything. As crazy as it sounds, I feel like everything you do is calculated…"
"You're one to talk. Weren't you the one that originally wanted to use me?" Shaking her head, she looked at the sky.
"You found out easily." Her eyes closed for a moment before she finally locked gazes with me.
"Yes. Since you first approached me at the academy, I suspected you were the assassin, which was why I played along with what you were doing." With that, she summoned her sword and turned back.
She took a few steps forward and stopped, addressing me for a few moments.
"But now, I am sure you aren't an enemy." She then went over to Cassie.
'>>Fuuuu, she saw right through you.<<' Regis whistled, to which I chuckled.
'[It's of no matter, as long as she trusts me, I'll be satisfied.]' I sent over, and Regis manifested, his purple flames dancing in the air.
(While you guys were chatting, I scouted ahead. I saw her. She's just about to ambush a nightmare creature.) Smiling, I turned my head to Nephis and nodded.
She helped Cassie up, and we went to where Krabs was. The shadow clicked its pincers in excitement, to which I laughed nervously.
"Sorry, buddy, no memories this time." The shadow's pincers halted for a moment before they came down.
[What a gluttonous shadow you've got on your hands.]
(Same to you.) Regis stopped beside me and looked directly at me.
"Just because I enjoy a good feast doesn't mean you need to start counting my bites." His mouth curled upward as he looked at me.
Almost instinctively, I knew he was going to say something stupid… or clever.
"But hey, at least I don't look like a gust of wind could blow me away." He stifled a laugh, and I simply ignored him.
(Haaa, it's like I have another you to deal with.)
[What's the problem? You have double the joy then.] Sunny grumbled, and we went down the wall. It took less time since Krabs could just be used as a mount by Cassie and Nephis.
Meanwhile, I'd just switch places with some rubble and get down onto the ground.
Sunny dismissed the shadow, and so we made our way through the ruins. I told Blisto to go upward, and he was too high for anyone to see.
We slowly made our way through the alleyways and streets, avoiding the nightmare creatures that were going around.
Regis grumbled before sighing, "I love this plan. Let's just keep hugging walls and hoping the monsters are too dumb to check their own territory" he sarcastically added.
Nephis glared at him, to which he snorted, "What? You gonna set me on fire with those eyes or just keep glaring?" he smirked.
"If you keep on grumbling, I swear I'm gonna cut off your food and essence consumption to the bare minimum." I whispered with irritation.
Regis stopped, and his ears dropped, "Sorry, sir, very sorry, sir." Grumbling a response, he quieted down.
'So exhausting.' I heavily sighed and climbed one of the walls. I helped Cassie up, and then Nephis. We soon stopped as Effie had slain another nightmare creature.
Smiling happily, Effie prepared a campfire and began to prepare the meat. Meanwhile, we were only about 30 yards away from her.
"She's busy eating" I whispered, and Nephis just looked at me expressionlessly.
"Alright then, let's go meet her" she stood up and went for her.
I grabbed her hand and shushed her, which earned me a side glance.
"Think for a second. We can't just interrupt her while she's eating."
"Why?" She said simply, and I sighed.
"Because she's gluttonous. What do you think would happen when we interrupt someone like that?" Glancing at me, she stood there without responding.
"Then we'll be careful." Before I could retort, I saw Regis holding up his shadowy paw.
"How about I talk to her?" Shaking my head, I grumbled.
"Yes, let's have something that looks like a Nightmare Creature appr… Wait a moment." I thought for a moment and almost gleamed.
"You're a genius! Let's use you as bait." Regis put his paw on the floor and sighed.
"You know, being the bait feels like a demotion, but I'll take it." He walked forward, and we followed behind.
Looking behind, he motioned for us to stop with his paw, and he approached closer.
I concealed the presence of me and both the girls as we moved to the right and were now able to get a decent view of Effie.
She stopped munching on her meat, which was definitely a bad sign. She looked right at where Regis was hiding.
He stopped and looked in my direction.
>>Wait, did you conceal me?<< he desperately questioned, and I gave him a bright smile.
[My bad, you'll manage.] Glaring at me with hatred, I turned my attention back to Effie, who picked up an especially big bone.
With her muscles bulging, she hurled it at where Regis was.
Whimpering, Regis hopped back, and the bone just barely missed him. Instead, it hit the wall and caused cracks to appear on its surface.
"Is someone hiding in the shadows? Why don't you come out to play?"
Her voice was deep, smoky, and had a raspy huskiness to it. Nodding at Regis, he put out his inky tongue as if to taunt me, but still made his way out of the shadows.
With a somewhat reserved attitude, he exited the shadows and appeared in the flash. Effie looked him up and down before she blinked a couple of times.
"Uhh, a dog made out of shadows. You must have a unique taste." She licked her lips and stood up, summoning her spear.
Panicking, Regis stopped for a moment before his eyes narrowed.
"If I'm a dog, then you must be my chew toy." Regis snorted, and Effie stopped in her tracks, bewildered.
"What the… a talking dog?" Her face scrunched, and she scratched her head.
Regis, meanwhile, snarled, "It's wolf! I'm a wolf, damnit! Why is everyone so uneducated?" Nephis stood up and walked out of our hiding spot.
Effie heard the footsteps and turned her attention toward her. Confusion laced her face, and I soon emerged behind her with Cassie holding onto my shoulder.
"Humans" she questioned and looked between us and Regis.
The huntress was still tense, so noticing this, I raised my hands and dismissed the armor along with my sword.
Nephis turned to me and only dismissed her sword, which made Effie relax only slightly. She scratched her head in confusion and sat down.
Putting my hands down, I glanced at Regis, and he looked at me. Nodding at him, he seemed to understand my intentions and stepped forward.
"Hello there, Tanned Goddess. We are a humble cohort, and we came in search of a guide."
Face-palming, I groaned.
'He didn't understand. Or maybe he did and is just playing stupid.' Turning her attention to the wolf, the 'Tanned Goddess' frowned before smiling like a fool.
"What an interesting bunch!" she laughed and leaned while sitting. "So whose service animal are you?" Regis snorted, and his flames danced lively on his back.
"I feel insulted by that. It makes me feel like a pet." I turned to him with a grin.
"Aren't you?" Regis looked at me and sighed.
Effie gasped and turned to us.
"Ah, where are my manners?"
With that, she lightly rose to her feet. The white fabric of her tunic shifted slightly, revealing even more of her toned, powerful thighs.
Regis widened his eyes and whistled audibly, earning a glare from me. I turned to Effie, who scratched her head awkwardly.
She pointed her hand to the side and smiled at us, "Here, would you like to take a seat?"
Not wasting any time, Regis tottered toward where she pointed and made himself comfortable on the ground. Yawning, he closed his eyes and hummed as if he were sleeping.
Smiling, I walked past Nephis and sat right next to Regis, who was only pretending to sleep.
Poking him with my pointer finger, he turned his head away and huffed with annoyance. Looking at us, she took a relaxed pose, and Nephis and Cassie sat to her right, while Regis and I sat to her left.
She looked us over and smiled. "Haven't seen you guys around. Are you new?"
Nephis gave her a nod. "Yes. We have just reached the city."
She was trying very hard to act like a normal, well-adjusted person. It seemed that her endless attempts to improve her social skills had not been in vain.
If I didn't know how awkward and clumsy Nephis's natural state was, I wouldn't have suspected anything.
Effie grinned. "In that case, my condolences… wait. You guys survived for three month and a half in the Labyrinth?"
She whistled and looked at us with some respect. "That's a real feat. Congratulations."
Nephis lingered for a few seconds, then said, "I'm Nephis, and these are my companions, Cassia and… well, Pleiades and Regis. We are sleepers who came here during the winter solstice."
Effie was somewhat confused by her hesitation and looked at us.
I cleared my throat and chuckled. "It's fine to tell her, or, well, I will, I guess." Stretching, I put a hand on Regis and relaxedly petted him.
"Basically, I kind of had a bit of trouble with my original body, so I took control of the body of another sleeper. His name is Sunny. We are sharing it, and since it's his body, I only take control when he allows me."
I finished and looked at Regis. "This charmer here is a little thing that was created when I was about to go a little crazy." I added, and Regis propped up and looked at me with a fiendish grin.
"Right, right, you're completely sane. Remind me, how many creatures did you turn to ash while giggling like a lunatic?" he teased, and I smacked him over the head, to which he only chuckled.
'Should I hit him harder?'
(Why tell her about me? Wouldn't it have been better to keep it a secret for a while?)
[Don't be so evil, Sunny. How could I break the trust of someone so cruelly? It's very mean, Sunny.]
(Wha—How am I the evil one in this situation?)
>>Honestly, I think you're the saint. My master is simply the devil,<< Regis added and hummed.
[Oh, bite me.]
I cleared my throat and looked at Effie. She seemed to be contemplating what I said and shrugged.
"Well, all right, it is the Dream Realm, so I shouldn't be too shocked." She then cleared her throat.
"Nice to meet you! I'm Effie. Well, at least that's what people call me. I'm also a Sleeper."
Knowing all of this already, I clapped my hands and turned my full attention to her. "Nice to meet you, Raised by Wolves. Now, could we bother you for a bit longer?" She turned to me and frowned.
"Raised by Wolves? You're referring to me. Did I not say my name was Effie?" She looked at me with… pity?
Why is she pitying me? Did she think I wasn't all there?
I cleared my throat and continued, "Apologies, it seemed I misspoke. It's a pleasure, Effie. As my companion there said, I'm Pleiades." I outstretched my hand toward her, and she somewhat hesitantly shook it.
"Now, if you could guide us through these streets, I'd be more than willing to pay."
A smile appeared on her face, and she seemed somewhat interested. "Oh, look at the little man over here doing business. I'll bite, what's in it for me?"
Trying not to pop a blood vessel, I smiled softly. "It seems you still don't understand. This…" I pointed to my body, "this body isn't mine. My original, very tall body was…" I hesitated and pondered.
'I guess I can say that it was destroyed.'
Turning somewhat solemn, I cleared my throat and continued, "It was destroyed very rudely by an even more rude, no-good bastard, so I am stuck in this short body."
(You really are frustrating, you know that?) Sunny said with a raspy voice, and I grew confused.
[Why?]
(You just revealed something important to someone you just met, but gods forbid you reveal anything to me.) He grew frustrated, and my mood soured.
>>He's not wrong, you know. You're playing this whole 'mystery man' role a little too well for comfort.<< I gulped and sighed.
[I'm sorry, but it's for the best. If you know too much, it may hurt you in more than one way. I really am sorry, Sunny. I know it's all but impossible to fully trust me, but please, don't think I have any bad intentions. All I want to do is help you.]
Sunny remained quiet, and I took this silence as his answer and turned to Effie with a smile that didn't quite reach my ears.
"But let's ignore that for now. All that matters is that we get to the castle, so will you take the deal?"
Effie was obviously a little uncomfortable. "Sorry to hear that, but well, as long as the deal's good, I'd be more than willing to help." She then grinned mischievously and looked at me.
"I would have taken you guys there without the need for a reward, but since you offered…"
I chuckled. "No, I knew you would; it's just that I wanted to show off." She seemed confused, and I began to summon the [Sublime Banquet].
The warhorn weaved itself into existence. Effie looked it over and seemed interested.
I went over to the open part and quickly created a small wine glass out of what little essence i had left over.
It formed out of the white radiance that was my soul essence. She seemed surprised but was then baffled as a red liquid began to emerge from the warhorn.
The sweet aroma of the liquid came to my nostrils, and I then poured the liquid into the glass. Swirling it within, I offered it to her and smiled.
"Just for you. I'll personally give you a barrel of wine or any other beverage you wish for, and after we are led to the castle, I'll give you another."
Her eyes were wide open, and I smiled. "Oh, did I forget to mention the fact that it can also produce a limitless amount of food?"
I approached her and smiled sweetly. "How silly of me."
Next Chapter: Dreaded Ruler
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