I sit by the fire watching it flicker. I have to go over what happened. So he likely made the deal while they where coming back. That would be the best time to do so judging from the time line. The deal is likely just, give me a dead velvet and a alive ■■■■ and I won't kill you. It seemed to have to have simply been to dishearten me heavily.
One comment does catch my eye, it seemed to been about that first ride i took, he specifically called out what happened after. When I absorbed shadow gods blood. The thing is, the way he said it. Like he knew something happened but not what happened. How would he not have known?
I was pretty sure he was watching me closely so what could have made him unable to figure out what happened? Does that mean he isn't aware I have shadow gods lineage?
I lay down in my sleeping bag looking at the roof of my tent. What does it mean? How would he not know? Does the drop of shadow gods blood have a way to stop unwanted eyes?
I notice something, the forest is silent, that means there's a predator near. I focus on my heat sense, there's nothing warm nearby. Meaning it's something without natural body heat.
"Heat seeker"
Thats.... thats scouts voice. I tense up, why am I hearing her? She's dead, i watched the life leave her eyes, i pushed the daggers down with my own two hands. My breathing comes out fast and short. I hear heavy feet walking around the tent.
I'm not attacked all night. I just lay there in terror as scouts voice questions me. Questions why, why i didn't try harder to save her, why I didn't stay with her, why why why? I slowly get up and I get out of my tent. The fire is just about going out. The sounds of the forest are back. I look up into the sky. Its still orange as it turns to day. I sit down hard.
What the hell was that? It mimicked her voice, how did it do that? I never went to this area before, much less with her. It knew her voice, it knew what happened. Was it prince? That's always a chance, but why would he do that?
I start packing up my stuff, I put out the fire with a long sigh. Watching as the smoke rises into the air. I grab my satchel and I start walking into the forest. Its a normal forest all things considered.
That is until i get to a torn apart corpse of a deer, no a baby one, I can't remember what their called. I check the body, done by large claws, no interest shown in eating the kill, clearly most done while it was alive to torture it. Its clear whatever did this was incredibly cruel and was likely trying to send me a message.
I finally stop at mid day. I sit down starting a fire, I slap some leftovers in a pot as I summon singer to deal with it. I lean back on a tree stump closing my eyes.
If I wasn't a awakened I'd have a migraine i think. Its been too long of a day and it's only halfway done. I'm being followed and tormented by what I think to be a nightmare creature, still might be prince who's in a 'silly' mood.
I feel a bowl get put into my hands by Singer. I open my eyes as I'm going to desummon her words appear
"Hello, can I tell your cohort about the drop of shadow gods blood?"
I wave one hand using the other to put the food in my lap
"Okay"
She puts her hand forward
"May I have your hand?"
I nod. She takes my hand and after a few seconds she removes it a chain coming with it. The chain is black and doesn't shine. It fuses into the chain around her neck.
That chain then turns black like the new one. She then stands bows and desummons herself. That was definitely odd. What on the hell did she just do?
I walk into a large clearing, within it is a ghost town. I summon flame as it seems to be a bad idea to go in blind and unready. I slowly walk into the town, its been abandoned for far longer then prince has been around in this nightmare.
I don't look around it seems like a frankly foolish idea, don't go poking around if it might kill you to do so.
Its almost eerie, the place had been abandoned in a massive rush, not bothering to take anything other then their essentials. We pass through the town with nothing happening thankfully.
After a while when night comes around I start a fire and I set up my tent. I lay down in my sleeping bag. The fire crackles, crickets chirp, the forest seems alive until it all stops. Another night of.... that is coming.
"■■■■"
Thats... thats sunnys voice.
"You could have stopped me from being burned. You where right there. Right god damn there!"
I freeze staring at the front of my tent.
"If you put in more effort you could have helped more with the crimson spire raid, you could have helped neph!"
Why won't it shut up.
"You knew i was in those ruins! You could have helped me! Why didn't you do anything?!"
When day comes around, I get out of the tent. I curl up next to the fire as it slowly goes out. I try to slow down my breathing. What the fuck? How did it know? How did it know about the forgotten shores? What the hell am I even dealing with here?
I summon singer and I make her pack up. I am not walking deeper into this god forsaken forest. I refuse, on all merits i refuse.
In the middle of going back to that abandoned town I find the dead body of a fully grown deer. Its far far more mangled then that baby deer. I kneel down looking it over.
It seems that it's another message to me. It seems that whatever is hunting me knew I'd come back. Thus it did this for no good reason then to mess with me.
I finally make it back to the abandoned town. I look around the place, the only not halfway crumbling building, is the church.
So i go inside to stay there for the day. At midday I summon singer to let her do the cooking. I look at my runes and
Aspect legacy: [Cold wind of Boreas. 3/7]
Aspect Legacy Description: [You have seen a death that has changed you. That changed it all and you have promised to take the empty seats of the gods and fill them with humans. You have made up your mind to save as many as possible. You are selfish with your time and life, not giving them up easily]
It seems I've finally completed another ring of my aspect legacy. "Claim"
[You have received a memory, vile blood]
Vile blood? Odd name. I check in my runes and
Memory: [Vile blood].
Memory Rank: unknown
Memory Tier: unknown
Memory Description: [Before, there was only boundless, eternal void. From that dark abyss, the -unknown- were born. Just like chaos itself, they were endless and everlasting, vast and forever changing. But then came desire, and with it came direction. From it, the gods were born. In a endless war their blood was shed, this is a mix of all of their blood. It is a blasphemy on the gods name to have their blood mixed.]
Well, that is... a little ominous. I'll give it to sunny. I have to complete the preemptive trade after all. Totally no other reason. Not a single one. I'm not very off put by the description and name.
I hop up to the top of the church. I sit down watching the sunset. The reds, purples, yellows and the oranges slowly turn to black as clouds float past on their own time. I jump down b going back inside. I stare at my own hands
"Why didn't you try harder?"
Its more then one voice, its 100s of voices, all who all blame me, for being too weak to save them. Too weak to even try.
"Why didn't you fight through the pain? Why didn't you put the effort in before the crimson spire?"
I curl up putting my hands over my ears.
"You think just because you formed a new core that you can just abandon other people?!"
I try to tell the voices to shut up.
"Why didn't you go all out on that spider?"
Thats kelly. I haven't heard her voice in so long
"2 whole years and you didn't form a core, how lazy."
Thats Luke, he sounds so disappointed in me. Disappointed that I didn't try harder.
"You could have saved us if you simply tried harder to kill it"
I'm sorry Adam. I'm so sorry that I let you all die. Its all my fault.
I duck to the side as a massive arm crashes into the stones right where my heart was. I look up at the fallen devil that was attacking me.
I summon flame and Singer. It dashes forwards but a set of chains hold it down by the neck. I look it over, its a mix of a deer and a human priest.
Mind attacks, it uses mind attacks, causing fear and hallucinations in its victims. It didn't attack because the fire was still there, it fears fire. A weakness no doubt.
All of that fear, all of that, for what? To kill me? Like hell, like hell I'd let it disrespect the dead like it did. I duck down kicking its legs out. I make a chain around its neck and I kick its head flinging it.
It lands trying to stop itself. I pull the chain throwing its balance off. Another chain wraps around its leg and arm, pulling the two limbs right off. Flame starts a fire and I drag it forward.
I grab its head and I push it into the fire. The thing screams scratching at my arms. It cuts into my arms but I keep it down.
[You have slain fallen devil, screams of the starved]
[You have received a memory]
I keep it down even though it's dead, it tormented me, shouldn't I enjoy my revenge? Shouldn't I? Why don't I? Is there something deeply wrong with me? Or is there something wrong with everyone else? It doesn't matter. None of this matters. I swear to the dead go-
"Well. This is... definitely something"
I look up. There's a beautiful woman standing there politely. There's a... is that quiet dancer?! That's cassie! Its cassie! I rush forward, she puts her arms out.
"Hey ■■■■ it's been a while hasn't it"