Speech = "….."
Thoughts = […...]
º
Snipet
º
She was romantically clueless.
Fawning and feeling the heat spread through her legs when in the presence of extremely alluring hot men and women from Tevat was one thing, but actually knowing what she felt past that fixation was...harder. Well, she was sure she was at the very least straight...one could not just cup the Ludex taut, stone breaking chest and think otherwise, however….. all this fumbling and playful teasing with Furina had left her...at odds.
It had started as a genuine attempt to give the girl a friend
A real friend….god knows that she needs one
Even though she knew well that it wouldn't erase the trauma and pain the girl had been forcefully put through for 500 fracking years of non stop acting or else the nation dies and you get hit with the mother of all PTSD moments of your immortal lifetime…., but it was better than to look the other way, pretending she was fine.
But now..?
"...Seriously?"
Signora's voice rang in the room amused, confused and deadpan all at once as she sat across from her, strong elegant legs crossed in a rather provocative manner yet no less dignified
Crucabena nods, like a golden retriever made human.
A single silver eye blinks once, then twice as the Eight stares as if she could see her soul.
"Don't you have a daughter already..?"
Crucabena bit her lip.
"Well yes, but you know…..shit happens…?"
"Oh it really looks like it..."
"Look, I know how it sounds but can you...I don't know, help me figure things out? Like a method or something..?"
"A method you say...?"
"Yes..."
"Well." Signora says, tilting her head – showing off the bare skin of her neck, framed by her cascading red locks. "One way they can 'help' is through physical means. Platonically, with no strings attached – so long as you establish boundaries."
"...Like?" She questions. Then, her eyebrows shoot up when the blond beauty lunges forward, grabbing her by thecollar.
"Give me seven minutes in that broom closet to show you." The words are whispered, her breath ghosting on Crucabena's skin.
"...Oh."
Oh, she says.
Seven minutes later she stumbles out of the closet like a drunk after a party, her breath ragged and a myriad of ravenous kiss marks all over her face and neck.
"You," Signora growls, lipstick smudged, "are a terrible kisser."
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" The ensuing blush nearly lights up the entire house. "…Uh, give me seven more minutes to figure it out..?"
º
º...House of the Hearth...º
º
Even at his old age and with all the things he had seen coming in and out the Hearths halls, Gerard had never come to consider himself as a superstitious man.
Tired? Yes
Hard? Perhaps…
Jaded? Who wasn't in this line of work..?
However, he never had been one to fall for those whimsical stories mothers told their children about fanciful faeries that would take you to hell if you misbehaved or did not eat your vegetables…..the real world had far more realistic and dangerous monster after all.
Monster that schemed
Monster that killed…
And worst of all….monster that lied about not being monsters...
In a peculiar whim of fate things had always been fixed between written and unspoken rules on the sand in a rather clear and cut way. Cross them at your own peril, follow them if you seek to survive. It was just that simple….though sometimes that did not save you either if you had not some shred of luck in these bloodstained halls to carry your soul through the trials
However, as the years passed and as one of those who had made it through the trials that lurked within, Gerard had come to develop a sense of danger, an internalized alarm clock that only rang at certain times. The sensation always came in the form of ice cold needless that clawed at his arms from barely beneath the skin, prickling bone and flesh.
An ill omen that foreshadowed something truly terrible was a bout to happen.
Sadly, it did not tell him where or why….just to be aware that he should duck and cover soon enough. However, at the very least he had the nagging feeling that all this doom and gloom thoughts were not coming from his unwanted "guest"
Speaking of which-
"Where is she..?"
The words were sharp, harsh and hoarse...just as the man behind them. A man that had long ago left his prime behind yet had not turn any mellower, instead he showed his fangs more often than not. Clad in the Fatui operatives suit, Efim Shenevich cut a grim shape in what otherwise would have been a pleasant and quiet room during the first hours of morning.
Dark blue eyes stuck in a never ending frown in a face that had never learn to smile, not all that happy to be here in the first place, let alone having to ask "him" of all people.
To be honest... the feeling was mutual
"Where is who...? You have to be more precise…" Gerard inquired the man at last.
His voice filled with cheap fake courtesy, trending through the thin line between open mockery and politeness as he did not even bother to raise his head from the documents he was working on, the shifting of the pages adding itself to the low grunting echo of teeth grinding and fist clenching not that far away from him.
"You know what I mean, where is the madam? Where is our master, Gerard?"
The shifting of pages slowed down, barely a thing...but it did.
"Any particular reasons..?"
The frown grew all the more pronounced. "I did not took you for the gossip kind…" The old agent chuckled, yet was one without mirth.
"Knowing you who knows what you are up to...do you really want me to tell her you want to go out for another picnic? I heard you have gotten quite used to them..."
"And unicorn piss makes mora..."
"Good to see you have a sense of humour left, now..if you are done joking please leave, I have work to do-.."
Before he finished that sentenced a fist landed on the table, making the entire frame shudder by the impact.
Anyone else would have been startled by it, Gerard…. merely rose an annoyed eyebrow as he glared back at Efim, their eyes meeting
"Are you quite done?"
"Not until you tell me where she is, I need to show her the next batch of recruits of my lecture"
[So it was that...]
The reason behind him intruding on his work was once again that self serving desire to make another blood show to ingrate himself in the madams good graces like all the other times. The lectures that the so called "teacher" was talking about were just teenagers carving into each other until one of them died.
Usual practice of the House of the Hearth
However Efim likeness for the smell of the red ichor been splattered on the ground when beyond the silent sadistic enjoyment that the Knave had for it.
There was still too much of the old matron in him.
With a sigh he put down the sheet of paper.
"She is away..."
For some reason the Knave had started leaving the House a lot more than she usually did, specially given that most of those instances were done when he was sure there was not a social event at play. In fact today she had said she was going for a walk...but perhaps that was a code word for something that not only he was meant to be privy to.
What it could entail he did not know. He had sworn to do better if only to be trusted enough with such information, but alas...for the moment he had not still succeeded.
"Again? "
"Yes.." He said, putting a special emphasis on the word as if talking to a kid. Efins eyes twitched dangerously, but much to his disappointment he did not took the bait.
Yet..
"Where?"
That he didn't know either
Archons knew that he too wanted to know though it was to be expected, Harbinger were a fickle bunch, elusive like shadows.
Gerard shrugged. "I don't think that if you were not informed you need to know…"
"What did you say..?" Efim seethed venomously.
"You heard me, what the madam does only concerns to the madam….we are not to question it, those are the rules.."
If looks could kill then he was sure that he would have died a dozen times already, however after a brief tense pause….Efin moved away from the table, scoffing, animosity clear in his eyes..but one that was not unchecked.
"Tsk...don't preach them to me like I am one of those sorry milksops you push around Gerard, I was there when they were written.."
"Then all the better that I don't have to explain them to you, now if you are done here I suggest you return to your duties"
Efin merely glared at him with all the venom one could possibly held in a gaze. A look that told him that this matter... was not over.
It never was..
However, as long as this pissing contest was pushed to a later date he could not care less. Sadly…. later came sooner than he expected as Efin did not leave the premises of the room as he had wished him to, but instead looked outside the window to his right.
Dissatisfied with his lack of progress of getting the man out but not really going to voice his displeasure Gerard was about to try to ignore his presence as he picked again his quill in order to continue on where he had left his report.
However the following words put a stop to such idea.
"So that is the famous brat I have been hearing about all this time.."
Gerard did not know why, but...the air felt as if grew thick and heavy around him as the words hang in the air.
Weary grey eyes closed to a half lid while one of his eyebrows rose questioning as they forcefully had to look away from the sheet of paper at hand and right the back of the man in question who had not turned around yet, seeing that he was not gonna reply back he slowly followed the direction where the man was looking at.
Out…
Down the playgrounds that the window of his office led to just like most of the ones at Hearth. The sound of the youngest children playing as they usually did when in their free time echoing dimly from the outside like they did most of the time.
He was tempted to ignore the mans rambling... however Gerard knew that Enfin was not talking about one of the many brats mingling down there. Not with the way he spoke which denoted some sort of interest that no ordinary kid would manage.
Of course..., there was the possibility that the aged agent was actually referring to the madams own daughter, the notoriety of her blood clearly making her a different candidate than all the rest. However...such chance felt rather low given her lack of skill or ability on anything that wasn't making trouble for him and the Knave.
Insubordination
Simple-mindedness..
Attempts to flee or cause chaos…
In Gerard's mind the list of mistakes that girl had done willingly or otherwise were too long to count. No…, Clervie was not the one been talked about now, there was only one more individual that the other man could be referring to, the only to actually be worth something.
The "cursed" child
With those glowing X's in her eyes and the darkness clawing at her finger tips like a volatile cancer. A girl that looked already dead inside before she even arrived to the Hearth infernal embrace.
Even he had been unnerved by her.
But clearly it had not done the same trick to his fellow "patriot"
"What of her..?"
"Is it true that she comes from that blasted place…"
He frowned, folds and winkers creasing his face as he understood where this going. It was not a question, Efin already knew, he just wanted him to confirm it for him.
"No….but her blood does.."
"Blood...eh?"
There a hint of amusement in his voice, almost sardonic in nature as if he was been reminded of a bitter joke, one that a person hated in their youth but as they grew old let the grievances become like nostalgic memories.
"I still remember when that old bastard came to the House, so high and mighty that he could not even gave our pitiful lot a mere glance. When was it? Fifty years ago? Forty..?"
[Fifty seven.] He wanted to say….but kept quiet.
His silence did not seem to deter Efin's monologue though.
"Is funny, isn't it…..?I don't remember much of the faces of the rest of us any-more, they become blurry shadows in my eyes each and every time I close them...but I do still quite recall how obsessed the man was with blood, our blood…..and how much of a disappointment we were that we were not the ones he sought.."
Gerard knew what the agent was talking about
He too had been there.
The day the Jester came through the doors had been heavy and dark, the skies covered in a thick mantle of grey that threatened to strangle any inch of colour….but it could not compare with the sheer pressure that the man had exuded with his mere sheer presence.
No human should be capable of doing that…
If...he was a man at all.
Luckily, he was brought out of his musings when Efin decided to speak again.
"I wonder if that old blood running in her veins is for show...care to make a bet, Gerard" The man's smile was nothing but a crooked thing that seemed to emulate after a kid cutting a hole in a bag than a real human smile.
And it was one that he did not like.
"Whatever you are thinking...rethink it"
The hyena like smirk grew wider through old scarred lips, a grotesque thing...but one that was rather fitting in said character. "What? Afraid that I will break her before you have the time to touch her..?"
Gerard finally stood up from his seat, jaws clenched so tightly he could his teeth shriek in pain. Oh how he wished he could do away with this mans baneful existence instead of having to suffer him for what remained of his life.
..
..
Or perhaps...he could
His eyes remained fixated on Efin's if only to avoid betraying the thoughts in his mind, thoughts that were mostly about the loaded gun inside one of the drawers of his desk. A weapon he kept there always in case for "necessary" moments that may or not arise within the walls of the Hearth.
Most of those unsavoury in their nature...but necessary.
He remembered the calibre, the shape of the barrel of the gun and the way the hammer would hit the chamber when fired. In such close proximity he would not need the electro energy styled mechanism to land a lethal shot no matter what augmentations the agent had.
The only thing that would all hang on would be the speed of his draw.
It was a tempting thought, to picture the man drowning in his own blood even if that would mean ruining the carpet. Alas...that was not his decision to make as he mentally forced himself to place his hands away from the drawer and to the sides of his body.
Not yet...
"She is to be the masters toy, not yours…surely you have not forgotten what happened to the last "fool" who tried their luck..?"
"Are you threatening me, sir..?"
"I am helping you make an informed decision.."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"Tsk...have it your way..."
Grumbled the man through his teeth before he turned on his heels and started to walk away, however before he did he did not do so without leaving one last ominous comment.
"Sooner or later she will be blooded, will it really matter who does it...?"
Gerard did not reply back.
º
º...Forest outside of Fontaine...º
(….country side...)
º
The sound of her footsteps echoed softly in her ears as she trampled over the humid grass and dry leafs on the dirt path she now traversed, her boots holding quite well on the uneven terrain of the forest as they went up and down small ridges and barely pronounce hills. Feeling a more than desired cool breeze of air brushing against her face, a stark contrast with the warm, dry air that she had experienced until then.
There were parks time a dozen back home….but it only took her to close her eyes to know that they could not compare with the ones in this world. She rose her gaze as she watched birds of many colours chirp and fly above her head, finding amusement in the way some rubbed their feathery heads together while others stared back at her with curiosity.
It was not just how clean everything felt with the lack of cars or trash everywhere.
It felt….magical?
..
..
Yeah, that felt a bit corny if she thought about it. Still, there was not helping it the fact that she was like a child let loose in a toy-store. Once she had been presented with the chance to not only stare a clearly non human creature..but also to play with it or help it make her brim with child like amusement as she ventured onwards to somewhere new. More than likely her gamer-girl mind making up scenarios in her mind of what cool things would happen next as if she was in some sort of Fantasy RPG brought to life
Well...she was, not the RPG thing, but hey...details.
Now, speaking of cool things…
Her gaze wandered off towards the fluffy ball of hair that made for 45 % of the back of her Hilichurl companion as it tread the path ahead of her, tapping the ground with its feet a few times sometimes or with its club as if trying to ascertain the presence of weak ground or traps.
Strange behaviour to say the least..
Though she had chosen to keep that opinion to herself.
She was too busy taking on the scenery to pay such things too much heed, besides...when in Rome do as the Romans do. It could a quirky Hilichurl...or just a tradition..?
Anyway, it had not been long since she had taken the offer to follow after her new found guide and friend to wherever he wanted to lead her to, as far as she knew it was to his tribe….though for some reason the foliage did not seem to grow scarce as one would think after wandering in a particular direction, but thicker as the light around her dimmed as a result of the presence of more trees stacked together. It was strange that she had not come across any bears or wolves...but it could be that they were not natural from here, or she was just that lucky to not stumble on them.
Or they were afraid of a certain primite tribesman leading the procession.
Speaking of "Jack", there were a few things she had started to take notice that she had not noticed prior now that she had the time to look at the creature in question. Like for starters...he was wearing pants? Yeah..purple ones at that, or...what looked by purple with whatever brown and reddish thing seemed to be smeared on the tattered remains.
It was safe to say that the first thought was that he was trying to emulate after Hulk, but nah...what would be the odds? Still, a Hilichurl with a sense of fashion was weird, cute..but weird, specially when it clearly looked as they were too small for him.
Too much….human like, which told her that he had not made them...but found them, where? She would like to know, but coming from a world where people dump their stuff anywhere it should not be unheard of happening elsewhere as-well. Also, had she said that he was wearing a pouch? Yeah, it was a small looking thing hanging from his hip, unlike his pants this one looked a lot cleaner and new.
Strange…
Strange indeed…
Aaaaaaaaaaaanyway, not something that she should bother herself about. Still….the lack of human communication was boring her a little. If she were back home she would have used her phone and start looking at staff or listening to music, too bad that she was not in that kind of isekai.
At the notion of that reminder she clenched her hand into a tight fist as exaggerated tears slid down her cheeks [God dammit R.O.B..you could not give me a magical phone, couldn't you?] Not that it would have worked though, she very much doubted that Wifi existed in Tevat.
With a sigh she decided to use the next best thing she could do.
Talk with the non hostile literal monster
"So…...are we there yet...?" The Hilichurl did not stop its wandering, but it did tilt its head towards her to let her know it had heard her….before shaking his masked fluffy head. "Ok, we are not there yet….but then that means that we are getting closer...right?"
It nodded this time
"I see, ok that's good. Not that I don't like going out for a stroll, just wanting to know if it was going to take a bit more, I would really hate to get lost in these woods..."
".."
"So...do you have hobbies?"
"..."
"You...know what a hobby is, right...?
"..."
"Eh...ok..wanna hear a joke?" Of course, the answer to her questions was the same as the previous ones, not that it deter her much as she went to speak up anyway "What do two oceans do when they met each other? They wave..!"
She did not know whether it was her enthusiasm or the chosen topic, but just as she finished her joke... the Hilichurl stopped in its tracks and stared at her in silence for a preeeeeeeety long time. I kid you not, but mask or not, for some reason she had the feeling that she was been judged by a stare of disappointment before it decided to continue his path.
She blinked.
Her gaze slowly tracking where he was going before he disappeared through some bushes.
"Eh….you are….welcome I guess?" She muttered between relieved or annoyed at how awkward the moment had turned. Like...she knew when one did not land properly, but it could not have been that bad...right? It was an innocent joke..!
Wait..why was she worrying about that of all things..?
Shaking her head she could only roll her eyes at how such idea had come to her mind in the first place before she decided to follow after "Jack". More out of not wanting to get lost here than anything though.
"Tsk, what a rotten luck. Of all the Hilichruls I come across the only one that its a critic..? Shame.."
She mused to herself, though now mostly amused than bothered by it.
Though now that she thought about it...perhaps entering a conversation with a creature that could only grunt may not have been the best idea ever. Scratching the back of her head she only bemoan in mild annoyance at such turn of events when her big brain moment turned into a big poof
"Urgh...guess that I will have to find a different way to entertain myself..."
She only hoped she would not need to to recount old childhood songs to do so.
Luckily for her…. or her guide for that matter, it would not take them much for than a few more minutes of wandering through the lush-full and full of life terrain of the forest before she could started to notice the vegetation around her started to recede, the trees growing more distant with one another, giving way to far wider look at what laid ahead.
And then…..
She saw it
Well…, no, she first smelled the stench of shit hit her like a truck..but afterwards she did saw something.
And oh boy it was big
Lying there ten, twenty meters ahead of hers….a large if not massive makeshift, crude yet sturdy looking wannabe attempt to replicate helms deep when you tried to make a miniature of the entire thing in poorly cut wooden spikes and towers in what little space such a thing could be built inside a forest and not be noticed by anyone, be it Fontaine or Fatui.
"Wow….is this where you guys live...?"
"Urighi!"
The enthusiastic grunt from the Hilichurl followed by it raising its club in the air over its head like a kid would with a stick made a small smile warped on her lips.
"I will take that as a yes…now, lead the way Jack"
And so he did.
The wooden bastion grew nearer and nearer as they approached, they did not need to knock on the massive doors that seemed they had been ripped off some house and then added planks of additional wood with a few nails and hammers that would make an orc nod in approval….because they were already open.
Which was neat.
Inside she was met with a crap-load of Hilichurls….which wasn't that neat go figures.
[Well, what I was expecting when coming to a Hilichurl camp...?] She mused to herself, smiling and waving the creatures in an attempt to shake off the unease of having so many faces...or masks looking at her at the same time.
Something told her that she was making a mistake, that she should turn around, but meh, it surely was going to be fine and she was just imagining things. Standing through the open doors she rose her arm over her head and made a gesture with her fingers like a certain Vulcan doctor would.
"Greetings ladies and gentleman, fret not for I come in peace..."
º
º….A few minutes later….º
º
"I must admit…..that if only the smell was better this place would look like one of those mediaeval festivals..."
She mused to herself if nothing else as between grunts and having "Jack" pulling her by the arm she was led to wander through the camp. If she did not know better she would have thought that she was been given a tour had the direction where she was been lead to been pretty straight forward. Still, that did not mean that she could not get a good look of most things while at it.
In the game things like this were barely a circle of wooden palisade and the skeleton of a tent or two alongside some explosive barrels that someone thought funny to add there to the mix.
In real life things were…..far more interesting
Yes, there were the mythical explosive barrels with their iconic red paint all over the place, but that was not the important thing. For one it was not just tents, but also crude looking barns and houses that were so….weirdly put together that felt more like a patchwork between several guys building the thing that the work of one style.
There was a pot were some of the guys were cutting lumber from the forest with axes, chopping at dry trunks wildly and without regard for the splinters flying everywhere. In the opposite end there were some Hilichurls using some of the left overs of said lumber to throw them into a small looking furnace, feeding the fire that kept their smithing alive as they rose crude looking tools and hammered away some glowing block in an attempt to give it form.
With the amount of weapons laying around like legos if she knew no better she would have thought that they were gearing for war.
Then there were those that were not the productive members of society laying around. Some where sleeping, others were grunting at one another while a few were fighting over something attached to a boot.
All however did stop whatever they were doing when they noticed her.
Following with their masked faces where she went. Like those haunted mansions where the drawings hanging from a wall followed you with their eyes. [Guess that they don't see many humans around here…] She thought to herself as she tried to ignore the unease of their silent stares.
It was a reasonable assumption
Visiting Hilichurl tribes were probably not in the to do list of any sensible civilian so having one was rare indeed.
That did not stop it been rather creepy though
However, what really drew her attention the most were the inhabitants of the fort, Not what they were doing in that the present time though, why? Because any fantasy village worth their salt had these kind of things so it was not unexpected to come across such a sight.
What really made her tilt her head was trying to understand what they were wearing
"You have to be kidding me, are those…..dresses? Oh dear..they really are…!"
Look and behold there were a dozen or two of the Hilichurls wandering around in the what she assumed was the most weird and out of place carnival she had ever had the pleasure of been thrown into. That...or she was high on acid.
There was one with a woman's yellow dress, another was dressed in a lords jacket that was clearly too small for him as the sleeves had been torn off the main body, yet remained glued to the creatures arms. The most normal looking of the bunch been just a pyro looking one that held over its fluffy head a torn down top hat which was painfully small compared with the rest of his body.
Shirts
Pants
Jackets
Hats..
Sailors outfits…
The green and whites of adventurer's rank and file…
Even bandanna's from what reminded her of those guys that were treasure hoarders.
It was a mess of styles and shapes that she had trouble distinguishing each and every one of them with how poorly maintained they were, yet a part of her seemed to know without a shadow of doubt. All the pieces of clothing were clearly broken, dirty and obviously not made for a different species that easily towered over the common man when they were not walking like the hunched of Notredame.
And yet….they were
For some reason they bloody were
[Talk about a weird day…]
If someone had told her she was gonna see monsters cosplaying as humans she would not have believed it, guess she should have seen this one coming. Still, Where did they get all that fabric? And why were they wearing it? In hindsight it made poor "Jack" look normal with his small trousers and pouch hanging from his waist.
There was something red mushed among the dirty fabrics ….but she could not guess what it was.
She decided not to ponder much on it.
"If Chiori was here this would be her personal hell…." She mused to herself with a small giggle as she pictured the future Fontaine fashionista look of horror at the prospect of this carnival of clothing.
Though...thinking about it, perhaps she could visit the girl one of these days.
It was an idea that had been in her mind for some time already, but….perhaps, juuuust maybe she could speed the canon if she did. She could not expect that she would NOT die before the traveller hatched from his minecraft styled cocoon, so perhaps pushing fate slightly here and there could work for her.
That was if "Fate" as a whole was a living thing.
And if it was not the case? Then all the better. Making a new friend in the process and helping her avoid all the problems she got in her first days in Fontaine would be nice, having someone cool to have your back was just a bonus. After all...hadn't the girl been forced out of her home when the Shogun decided to throw her temper tantrum and go full dictator..?
With a satisfied nod she clapped her hands together.
Yeap
It was decided.
One of these days she would go to Inazuma and find chibi Chiori.
However whatever thoughts of pinching the cheeks the surely cute but maybe deadly self taught ninja fashionista would have to be put into the back burner because just as she pondered what to do next her eyes spotted something on the ground that caught her attention.
Small
It was small
Its shape barely the quarter of her pinky finger, coated with either dust or dirt of whatever covered the soil around her feet in this section of the camp but its original milky hue remained there to be seen. Other than that there was nothing really that noteworthy about it.
She should have ignored
She should have just moved on to the next thing….
But she felt drawn to it, a word stuck in her tongue as she tried to understand what her brain had already puzzled together.
Arching an eyebrow and rubbing her chin she slowly knelt down to get a closer look as he pulled whatever it was from the soil and raised it to her eyes, her gloved fingers trying to scrub the dirt stuck on it like a tax collector would glue themselves to a debtor.
She felt something tug at her guts. A twisted sense of familiarity that felt alien to her as she held the small, dirty pearly thing between her gloved fingers. Her eyes frowning, a deep scowl warping on her features as she stared down the damn thing for who knows how long.
Why had she the feeling she had seeing this kind of thing before? Why did it felt so….familiar? And why did that familiar taste of copper hit her mouth even though she knew there was nothing of "that" nature here..?
The answer seemed just waiting to be said
Like that math equation you knew how to do but forgot when the exam took place
Maybe...she just needed to focus, she thought as she slowly stood up and turned around on her hips. However, before she could come across a satisfactory conclusion she was met with a round, white horned mas-
"OF FUCKING JESUS ON A BASKET! JACK...!?" She screamed, startled by the sudden proximity of the Hilichurl, almost falling on her ass in the process, no, scratch that...she DID fall on her ass. The only saving grace been her bodies massive cushion pillows.
Not that it stop her from feeling the sting of the landing though.
[When did he got behind me!?]
Surely she had not been that lost in her own thoughts to not spot Quasimodo-2 sneaking on her.
..
Well...this was her she was talking about
"Ufigiou...?"
Her left eye started twitching, though her heart still throbbed painfully in her chest. The shock had bled into hot burning annoyance at the notion of her wounded pride, standing up from the ground in an instant and jabbing a gloved finger into the creatures chest in the next.
"Don't Ufigiou me! You FUCK, don't scare me like that again...!"
It may sound mean, but gods her maiden heart was not meant to suffer through this time and time again. "Jack" rising his..its hands in an attempt to placate her at least made her know that the point had landed.
[It better be…]
"Now...with that out the way, what kind of problem do you have?"
"..."
"No, don't give me that look...you said you need my help for something, but I don't see a fire or a wild beast going ham at you…." She said as she gestured at the camp. Apart from been dirty, having the stink of the unwashed masses that were to be expected from a tribe of cavemen there was nothing that drew her attention.
"So...what is it?"
".."
"Don't tell me that you called me here to join a war against Tevat or something.." She drawled slowly, hoping to be wrong.
Pros of that idea, she could meet the other "sibling" sooner.
Cons? Everyone in the world would try to kill her
And that meant EVERYONE
..
..
Yeah, no thank you, Plot armor was not her middle name.
Luckily for her "Jack" shook its head
She breathed in relief. [Oh thank god that's not it…] she really did not know what she would have done if the answer had been the other way around. "Oh, ok...so you are not scheming to take over the world by asking people politely…that's good to know, but...that doesn't explain why I am here though."
It stared at her….and scratched the back of his head.
With a sigh she put her hands over her hips. "Look...I am not mad, just curious….the place looks...lovely?" It was really hard to say that with a straight face "I mean...it coould do with a clean up for the stink but surely you get what I mean..right buddy?"
After a few awkward moments a black finger pointed at something behind her.
Following where it pointed at Crucabena spotted a large hut coloured with red drapes, the colouring really had seem better days.
"Oh? You need me to go there?" Why? Your leader there?
The Hilichurl slowed for a moment….before it nodded stiffly, almost carefully. A stark contrast with its enthusiastic and exaggerated movements...however once again she designed to shrug it off.
Perhaps this was one of those cases where the main character had to interact with the chieftain of the tribe before anything else of worth could be done. Like a quest waiting to be unwrapped before her eyes.
At least her anime experience told her as much.
However when she reached the hut and entered it….she found neither chieftain or quest waiting for her and her soon to be epic journey. Instead she was left to gaze at an empty space, barren of any decoration or furniture bar a large wooden totem that held the entire tent….and a huge hole in the centre of the area.
[Ok, I give up….why am I exactly looking at….?]
Why would anyone put a tent over a cavity on the ground?
Or perhaps...the better question would be why make a hole in the ground in the first place if you were gonna cover it.
She did not need to glance for more than a second to know that it was dark down there, she in fact could not see more than what was shown from where she stood on the surface….which was not much to be honest.
"I am….really supposed to go there?" She muttered quietly as doubt crossed her mind. The alarm in her head really could not make themselves sound any louder, in the history of strange request this one was down right simply the most fishy she had heard.
Or perhaps whoever she had to see was just down there…
Strange
And yet, it was not like she was dealing with a human being, was she? For all she knew this was just how they did things….no matter how something told her that she was way off her game this time.
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º….Council of Crucabenas...º
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Serious C: "This feels like a trap…"
Funny C: "Why?"
Serious C: "Why? Doesn't this looks like the text book definition of a back-stab awaiting to happen..!?"
Tired C: "Do we really know if they are smart enough to pull that off...?"
Serious C: "What are you yammering about.."
Tired C: "I mean….aren't they the definition of Unga so I Bunga? More might than brains kinda thing?"
Serious C: "Given that they are meant to be the Abbys main force of their army….yes, but that doesn't mean that they cant think.."
Flirty C: "Dude, they fold so easily…if a maid can beat them why are we so worried, we will be fine..."
Intellectual C: "In game mechanics perhaps that would hold a modicum of truth, however we don't know about real lore…, I don't like dark tight spaces and BESIDES, Noel its like a terminator fused with a saiyan, a terrible analogy to try to make us feel better."
Serious C: "Thanks for your input.."
Intellectual C: "No need, Canada"
Serious C: "I hate you..."
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With a sigh, she decided that it would be pointless to question whether it was or wasn't a good idea what she was about to do, more so because she knew that the longer she stared at that hole the less she would feel encouraged to venture in and see what laid inside.
And so... she end up picking up the rather conveniently placed torch that had been left hanging from a post right next to the hole before she slowly slid down the cavity in the ground, the old carpets and grass gave way to grey pebbles and black shards of rock as she ventured deeper into the darkness underneath the camp, the light she held becoming the only source of light around her.
The sound of her steps echoed loudly as they trample down loose rock and pebble, the sound way too loud in the silence of the cavern.
She didn't like wandering into a place like this
One step
Two steps..
Three steps…..
Had she said already that she did not like wandering into a dark lighted corner?
She bit her lip, tilting her head left and right as she tried to look around for any other living being in this place, yet her eyes failed to pierce through the darkness shrouding everything around. The only thing she could feel was her own unsteady heartbeat throb in her chest.
[If someone is supposed to be here...where did they go...? Bingo?]
She wanted to laugh at the joke…
But she doubted that the reference would help her now much.
"Creak.."
She immediately turned around trying to discern from where the sound came.
"Hi? Someone there….?"
No answered back.
Yeah, that was not good.
Not good at all
Perhaps this was indeed a trap after all…..or she was going loony, it had happened to her when she was young and she thought that there was a monster in her closet.
Agh...those times really sucked
Perhaps it would be a good time to go back-eEEEEEEEEP….!" She started to say, only to lose her footing when her boot steppe over something that was not part of the cold ground of the cavern.
"Ah...fuck, not my ass again" She moaned as she tried to caress her now aching buttocks, cold sturdy ground was no joke. However, as she did she found the source of her new profound distaste of abuse to her rear.
A….wooden horse?
"What is something like this doing here..?"
As far as she knew it was common sense that you don't dump toys in a random cave
Let alone one owned by monsters.
It simply made no sense.
Her eyes closed to a half lid as she crawled forward, a nagging thought that pushed her to grab the torch that had luckily not decided to leave her in darkness and raise it above her head..revealing something that she had not taken notice before.
A pile...of things
Pulled one over the other there was a bunch of things.
Suitcases.
Books..
Toys…
"What are all these things doing here...?"
Hilichurls did not made toys or write books, they could not own this things, they were too primitive to do something like this. Like the green bastards at goblin slayer, they only did what they were taught and she very much doubted the abyss order had any focus on toy making.
Which...led her to a more unease question.
Where were the true owners..?
The rocks behind her creaked loudly as something heavy stepped on them, the air seemed to shriek as something cleaved through it.
But by the time she turned around it was too late.
Her world became nothing but red.
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A/N
One of the primary reasons this chapter took me this long and had to be cut in half was because it has a lenght of 14k. I will update the ending part in two days.
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grifman275 : the quotes of the gravemind are some of my favorite, sometimes cryptic but no less horrifiying when you understand what they mean.
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Bena is definetly going to feel homesick and its gonna suck when she realizes she is stuck there for the time being, Halloween and Christmass were some of the ideas I had, but fools day can be another.
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I have the feeling that Raiden Shogun banning "art" its more probable than you think, especially when Yae and Bena unite as Producer and distrutor combo.
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With Capitano able to interact with souls or see them it puts a different perspective of what kind of meeting the two will have, especially if he realizes that she is Not the real Bena and instead someone else.
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"hope her children don't try replicate her training regime anytime soon."
Challenge accepted.
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Kirby The God Eater : Only in death does duty end
Dreanaught: Not even in death does duty end
Redemptor pattern dreanaught: Not even in double death does duty end!
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DDDXXX : something indeed its about to go down real bad.
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