But then, her eyes flickered past me to Sasrir, who had moved to stand silently at my shoulder. Her dismissive posture vanished in an instant.
Her body tensed, her gaze locking onto Sasrir's shadowed form. She couldn't see his face, but she could feel it—the cold, predatory aura of a Monster. She recognized a serious threat when she saw one. The pretty boy had a very dangerous shadow. Her stance became that of a fighter assessing a rival.
"Let me help," I said, my voice calm and gentle, playing my part perfectly. I turned to the guard. "I'll cover her toll. The Lord teaches us to be generous to those in need." The guard just shrugged, happy to be done with the confrontation. He'd seen me pay for a few desperate souls before; this was just another act of charity.
I produced two soul shards and handed them over. Effie watched the transaction, her suspicion warring with a more basic need. I saw her eyes dart toward the castle, toward the promise of food and shelter. "I don't take handouts," she grunted, but her resolve was cracking.
"A meal isn't a handout," I said softly. "It's a gift between potential friends." Her hunger eventually won out. With a curt, reluctant nod, she muttered, "Fine. But I pay you back." I just smiled and gestured for her to follow me through the gate.
We walked into the main courtyard, the sounds of the castle enveloping us. Once we were a good distance from the gate and out of anyone's immediate earshot, I stopped and turned to face her. The gentle, pious expression melted from my face, replaced by a look of direct, calculating intensity.
"The truth is," I began, my voice now low and devoid of its earlier softness, "I didn't pay your way out of kindness." I held her sharp, wary gaze. "I paid it because you're exactly the person I've been looking for."
"Heh, I knew it" Effie scoffed, raising an eyebrow at me. "But are you sure you have the guts? That shiny bastard on the throne made it clear nobody is to get involved with me."
"Well, what Gunlaug doesn't know won't hurt him," I replied simply, stroking the crucifix around my neck. "And the truth is, he won't be much of a problem soon enough anyways."
Her eyes widened at that, before shrinking dangerously small, like a feline hunter's. "If anyone reported that, he would probably have your head. Your hand, at the very least. Aren't you afraid I'll run and snitch?"
"No."
My denial was curt and certain, with no doubt or hesitation across my face. After studying me closely for several more seconds, a swell as glancing over at where Sasrir leaned against the wall in silence, she relaxed her posture and scratched her chin. "Alright fine, then what do you need me for? I'm warning you, this won't end well if Gunlaug hears about it."
"A very important matter, but not one particularly complex for someone like you. In essence, I need your help killing some specific monsters."
"Oh yeah? Which ones?"
"A Spire Messenger, a Fallen Devil, an Awakened Terror, an Awakened Demon and probably a shit tonne of of other horrors located by the Hollow Mountains"
Much to my amusement, the look of nonchalant-ness quickly slipped from the Huntress' face.
Suffice to say, Huntress Athena was not impressed by my antics. She had nearly stormed off, and it took a near-grovelling amount of pacification to bring her back. After apologizing, I finally got down to serious business.
"Alright, cut the crap this time, I'm too hungry to deal with another smartass in town" Effie huffed, still annoyed by my previous "prank". Being the understanding person that I am, I naturally agreed to move onto business.
"Well, I wasn't entirely joking with you, Miss Athena. I do intend to kill those monsters I mentioned, but that is quite a while in the future, Right now, my primary concern is defeating a Fallen Devil that resides the that big cathedral to the south. I'm sure you've passed by it once or twice, it's hard to miss."
Athena looked at me, scanning my face to see if I was serious or not. "Alright, that's better, but you're still mad if you think you can kill a Fallen Devil with just three Sleepers. My Core is nearly filled, but what I've been here a year and you've only been here less than a month. Do you even know what powers that Devil possesses? Nobody who entered the Cathedral has come out again."
"As a matter of fact, we know basically everything about that Devil" Sasrir spoke up from the sides, voice calmly cutting across the room. "It's a Knight wrapped in black armour wielding a great sword, capable of travelling trough darkness and turning invisible. Inside the armour, its' true form is a shadow wraith that destroys anything it touches. Its eyes are made to look like its' weak point, but it's actually the sword it holds. Break that, the armour falls off and you can exorcize the spirit within."
Effie squinted at Sasrir, before turning back to me. "Alright, and who's the shadow man? I got your name from the guard, but who's he?"
"Sasrir" he answered curtly, his tone decidingly unfriendly. It seemed Athena's attitude towards me rubbed him the wrong way. While watching him bristle like a protective mother cat was certainly musing, it was also counterproductive for what I needed.
After giving him a "play nice" look, I chose to pre-emptively assuage any doubts she had. "Miss Athena, you don't need to worry. I possess the means to both restrain the Black Knight as well as purify it once the armour is gone. For you, who wields a Lord Shard, breaking the sword shouldn't be too difficult. Sasrir will naturally assist you with that."
Now, Athena was looking at me with thinly-disguised hostility. "You talk like you know me." It was a harsh question, but not unreasonable.
"Is there anyone in the Forgotten Shore who doesn't?"
"Humph, maybe so, but the way you talk is still too strange, like you're familiar with me on a personal level. Let me tell you, my memories pretty good, and we've never met before."
Ah, I was on the backfoot. I wasn't quite the master manipulator I aspired to be in the future, so I still couldn't control my laxness and reaction to seeing Effie in the flesh. Damn. Thankfully, Sasrir came in for the rescue.
"Let's just say we all have our secrets and leave it at that. If you still feel threatened by us, there is little we can do. But if you're willing to give us a shot, we promise you a shot to finally escape from this place."
Athena went silent for several long seconds, before looking Sasrir straight in the eyes. "Who says I want to leave?"