Damon stood frozen as he took in the man's words. His visage was that of a man who stepped on glass and removed the shards only to have his foot pierced by a rusted nail.
'In the end it's up to humanity to figure this out!? Why do people even worship those stupid gods then!'
Suddenly his thoughts turned to a serious problem; He was a Spiritualist. Was his fate to be drowned in nonsensical murmurs?
While he knew it was possible that the crow hadn't been a hundred percent accurate in its assessment of his affinity, he also understood it wasn't a matter he could avoid discussing.
'Who knows if Liz already figured it out by reading my mind. She might have left to prepare something...!' Damon didn't want to make a big fuss over it. But if they suddenly decided to turn on him he had to be prepared to act!
Observing as Gerald reached down to pick up Rudy's fallen sword, his hand slowly inched towards his holstered dagger. Yet as his finger grasped the hilt, the red-headed man took a sudden pause.
Gerald froze mid-motion, then quickly took a step back from the sword and straightened his body.
"You alright kid?" He asked. "Your spiritual energy is starting to fluctuate and I'm sensing bloodlust.."
Damon didn't answer. His breathing became uneven as his heart sped up frantically. The crimson hue flared in his eyes and he swiftly drew his dagger.
"Where did Liz actually go? What is she really doing!?"
Almost immediately Gerald held up his hands in a placating gesture. "Look kid, I don't know what's gotten into you but I can't share that information. I can say however that her actions have nothing to do with you."
'Then why the secrecy..?' Damon sneered and tightened his grip on the dagger. Those words did little to ease his suspicions, however a hint of clarity began to fill his mind as he noticed the man subtly glancing at the large hammer resting three feet away.
He could fight Gerald but that was easier said than done. The man had years of experience ahead of him and even if the battle did end in his favor there would be no way to explain it to Rudy. The boy would predictably turn on him as well, filled with grief and vitriol.
He'd likely have to take the young noble hostage or worse, kill him and flee before Elizabeth returned. Regardless the answer was still the same kill or be killed.
Yet something felt oddly unnerving about that conclusion..
'Why am I even thinking of killing them in the first place....?' Damon wondered.
They were merely having a discussion a moment ago yet it was as if the idea had drilled its way into his mind, distorting his thoughts and emotions. He was suddenly a cornered animal facing its greatest predators.
Bewildered, Damon tried to recall the experiences he had with the trio since their initial encounter. He felt a hazy fog and reddish streams stretching across his consciousness as their faces suddenly morphed into twisted grins of mockery.
Just then the hair on his nape stood on end. A familiar presence entered his spiritual perception range and immediately a low rustling could be heard beside his ears.
"What happened while I was away?" Elizabeth rushed towards them panting, a brown satchel slung over her right shoulder. Her soft brows creased together and her expression became a blend of confusion and worry.
"Don't step any closer!" Gerald shouted in a deep voice. "I don't know how but I suspect he's been marked by another Resonator!"
"What?" Elizabeth quickly realized the severity of the situation as she raised her hand to press down on the bridge of her brows. Her emerald pupils turned a light blue, as her vision seemed to shift underneath a new layer.
Then she focused on Damon's head and a detailed map of his brain manifested. The boy's limbic system and prefrontal cortex showed signs of hyperactivity that triggered his instinctive fight response as his serotonin levels continued dropping rapidly.
Every cell in his body was shouting for him to move, to attack the threats around him. However, she could also sense he was desperately holding back the urge to act blindly, leveraging what little lucidity remained.
'There's no doubt he's suffering from an ability or spell but how did things turn out this way..We already combed through this entire area yesterday before we set up camp!'
It also didn't quite make sense. If the caster sought to have them at each other's throats why hadn't they targeted both Damon and Gerald. Once they were both under, a conflict ending in at least one of their deaths would be almost guaranteed.
Three seconds of silence passed as Elizabeth deliberated on what to do, during which nobody moved.
Amidst the tension Damon's spiritual energy began to leak outward as his expression contorted with a grimace. Upon perceiving where Elizabeth's gaze was centred, he had an inexplicable feeling. She was the one messing with his mind..
'B-but that can't be, Gerald thinks there's another Specter nearby. But he might also be lying to lower my defences..'
'I'm not picking up the scent of blood on Liz either and her face looks more energetic than when we parted..'
'But w-what if I'm wrong...?'
'Dammit what should I do? If this goes on any longer I'll go crazy' Damon's thoughts scrambled between calm and chaotic as he clenched his fingers tightly. Maybe he had already lost it
"If you don't wish to hurt anyone then why not trust me..?"
At this moment Elizabeth's voice found its way into his consciousness.
'I don't trust liars..!' Damon's pupils shook and he decisively tried to cast her out.
".." Elizabeth fell silent for a moment before unexpectedly lowering her spiritual energy output. She relaxed her shoulder and her tranquil blue eyes smiled at him, "If you can't trust my words then trust your soul and my actions instead.."
A fuzzy feeling sprouted in Damon's core as a rendition of her vulnerable form took shape in his mind. The blurry figure swayed uncontrollably like cloth caught in the wind but a pair of blue eyes remained distinct.
'T-this is Resonation....?' Damon tried even harder to force her out to no avail. It made him feel helpless knowing that he had nothing else to rely on but one thing was clear.
Whether I survive or whether I get through this successfully will all depend on what she does next....
Sensing the resistance, Elizabeth slightly raised her output. "Don't be so tense. My current abilities aren't strong enough to cause any mental damage to a Spiritualist. All I can do is make you feel relaxed and slowly allow your body to loosen up on its own."
'She's actually helping me...' Damon muttered to himself.
"Because that's what partners do." Elizabeth remarked kindly. "I apologize for lying to you earlier and for being so secretive but I only went to search for other loot on my own."
"Before we came here we made plans to go looking for potential spots for mining Lithos crystals." Gerald interjected. His expression slowly relaxed but he didn't completely let down his guard.
His eyes remained fixed on the dagger in the boy's hand as he continued, "The crystals are made from spiritual energy being condensed within the earth under extreme pressure, but they're rare, even more than diamonds."
"A single crystal weighs a hundred grams and goes for fifty thousand to upwards of three million Amiri based on its matrix properties." Elizabeth added. She slowly reached for the brown leather bag on her shoulder and opened it to display roughly twenty crystals of varied shapes and sizes.
'So they lied to keep the crystals for themselves..?'
Damon's mind sobered up as he saw the coloured quartz clusters. He was also rather surprised to discover the people of Clairemount used the same currency as well considering it was a remnant of the fractured empire.
...
Since that era, the official legal currencies across Ethiopia were amiri and rupi. One amiri was equivalent to 100 rupi and that was worth four days of work for the common stable hand.
Rupi were made in the form of copper and silver coins engraved with Huaren characters. The copper coins were smelted in 1 rupi and 20 rupi respectively, while the silver coins had the denomination of 50 rupi. Banknotes were even more varied, ranging from 100, 500, 1,000, 2000 and 5000 amiri but not many would get to see them as most places paid in rupi.
...
Damon's gaze lingered on the crystals for a moment longer before he let out a quiet sigh.
'I probably won't get a share of those now... not after I nearly attacked them.'
He lowered his dagger, the tension slowly draining from his shoulders. "I'm sorry," he said, his voice rough. "I don't know what came over me."
Elizabeth's face paled. The blue in her eyes flickered and dimmed as she withdrew her spiritual energy. Guiding his mind towards clarity seemed to have exhausted a large portion of her energy. She heaved a sigh of relief hearing him speak and her shoulders slumped.
Then she looked around.
"Where's Rudy?"
Her voice was sharp, cutting through the quiet like a blade. She dropped the satchel, its contents clattering against the ground, and broke out in a cold sweat. Her hand shot out, gripping Damon's shoulders as she repeated through shallow breath.
"Where is he!?"
"Eh?" Damon blinked, caught off guard by her sudden panic. "He went inside the cave."
At once, Gerald let out a curse.
He grabbed Rudy's fallen sword from the ground and spun around, sprinting towards the cave's entrance without another word. He was so fast that in the blink of an eye, all that was left was a mirage of his back.
And as it vanished, Elizabeth released her hold and gave chase.
'What... what's going on?' When Damon cast his gaze over, he realized they were both gone.
Then he remembered.
'The other Resonator!'
Damon's blood ran cold as he sprinted after them.