"Bones! How? How could you kill her?!" The girl's gaped mouth hung wide open, eyes as round as a full moon. She cupped her hands around her mouth.

Bones used its hands to shield its eyes from the glaring moonlight piercing through the doorway. Barely making out her silhouette.

"Eve?" Bones questioned.

Bones looked down. Flickering between bones and flesh, his palms were stained red in the dim darkness. A girl lied beneath his feet. The vessels in her eyes burst, splashing her sclera a deep dark carmine. Blood dripped from every orifice. It was as if her visage was painted to express pure and gruesome agony.

It was then that Bones came to a sickening realisation. Despite her head facing upwards, her body faced downwards. Bones was assailed by an unstoppable surge of nausea. Its gait wobbling.

Stunned, Bones froze for a moment. Throwing its skull backwards, it started to laugh. Laughing maniacally, unrestrained, as if not only its jaw was unhinged, but its mind as well.

-Ahhh...

"Bones?" Ash peeked from behind. Confusion painted his tanned face. The third day Bones arrived in town, Bones was found to have murdered a girl.

Day 1 Bones and party arrived in town...

"Welcome one, welcome all, come and take a look at my fishes! Freshly caught and iced! I guarantee its freshness." A fishmonger stood behind his stall, shouting.

Stands lined the square. Goods of all sorts and variety sat on top of them. Dying the town square in a vast array of colour, from the striking red of fruits to the deep lavender of flowers.

The salty sea smell lingers in the air. Blending with the stench of raw meat and pungent spices. Squawks of seagulls penetrated through the spotless azure sky.

"We're here. Finally here!" Ash exclaimed, looking around.

"Yeah, I've never seen so many humans before. More like any humans other my master." Bones agreed, keeping the hood well above his skull. The illusion spell was under effect. But it still burns under the sunlight, so it made sure to cover itself with its master's cloak well.

It was outfitted with a long-sleeved, grey tunic, similar drab grey long trousers and travelling boots. Its hands covered by padded gloves to hide its fleshless hands in case they come into contact with others. Bones was given these things in the oasis to make his disguising easier. Two obsidian reinforced iron daggers given by Cro were sheathed to its buckle on its waist.

Then before it entered the town of Kaigan, it activated the spell. It was slightly different from the way it activated a skill.

Bianca grumbled when they were back at the oasis. "No, not like that. Your pronunciation is off. Imagine your appearance in your head. Hmm, it's best if you use someone you know as an example.

For humans, we need to undergo a whole long process of activating our mana circuit. Even then, our mana pool would be appalling low. Unless you're blessed or one of the chosen ones, with extraordinary talent. Then humans can only raise it for a bit before we reach our max. It can be enhanced using items and the like, but still, humans are at a huge disadvantage.

Monsters, on the other hand, have larger mana pool and a larger max capacity. They also have no need to activate it, since they are born with it being active. With my skill, I've ascertained that you have low mana pool but one of those monsters that have a huge potential. Your current low mana pool would mean lesser active period for the spell. It can be quite draining as well. So I suggest you hide in the inn whenever that happens.

Another thing you should watch out is that large towns will have magic that can detect monsters entering. Guardians, ancient beings will activate and destroy any monsters in town as well. They're insanely strong so don't even try fighting them. But the next town over, the town of Kaigan, does not have that system.

The last thing to watch out is the spell "Dispel" and skills that have a similar effect. Which I might as well teach you. It does exactly as it means. It can break the spell of illusion. Some of the skills are even passive so it activates all the time. Just avoid anyone with demon eye or some sort of radar. The chant is..."

"ψευδαίσθηση"

Bones muttered the chant, casting an illusion. For some reason, the appearance that he chose was that of a young male. Black hair and eyes, a slightly effeminate face with a slender build. Bones felt like a nostalgic face, however, it could not recognize who it was.

"Hello! You guys look like newcomers to this town." A curly, short brown haired girl jumped off the stairs with zest, calling out to them.

"Hahaha, does it appear that way?" Hebi peeked from under the cloak.

"Woah, a talking snake?" She exclaimed.

"Why does everyone reacts that way," Hebi grumbled.

"He's my familiar." Ace declared proudly.

"Familiar, wow, that's amazing! By the way, my name is Eve Liv. What're your names?" She asked good-naturedly.

"So, what do you want?" Hebi asked after they introduced themselves.

"Hmm, what do you mean?" She kept the smile fixed on her face. "Since you are new to this town, I thought, I as a local shall show you around."

"In exchange for what?" Hebi's forked tongue flickered in and out.

"Hahaha, you are sharp. I honestly thought you guys were just a bunch of country bumpkins. But I guess not."

"These two are. But snakes by nature are devious," Hebi commented dryly. "No way we are losing in a game of ulterior motives. As they say, there is nothing scarier than a free lunch."

"Oii," Ace interrupted. "What did you call us?"

Keeping an eye on each other, in the end, both Hebi and Eve burst out laughing. A pretentious, hollow laugh.

"Ohohohoh!"

"Well, to be completely honest, my parents owned an inn and I hoped,"

"That we would stay there, heh." Hebi finished her sentence.

"Haha, that's right," she stuck her tongue out.

"Hehehe, you would totally make a fine merchant."

"Hahaha, thanks for your compliment."

"Scary, these two are scary..." Bones muttered. Pulling Hebi to one side, Bones asked. "Are you sure it's fine? I'm a monster. If we get too close, it might get troublesome."

"We have no choice." Hebi hissed back. "We need a roof above our head as well as a boat to go to the next continent. An inn is the perfect place to get both. We can stay there and gather information to get a boat. Since there is no better place to obtain information in a town than from the tavern."

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

* * * * *

"Here are your orders!" Eve slammed down cups of mead as well as dishes down the wooden table.

"Eat up! Eat up! I promise it'll taste good." She chattered on good-naturedly.

"Well, as long as it's not Eve's cooking, it's good!" A large build man from a nearby table joined in.

"Hah? What do you mean by that, Lard?" Eve puffed her cheek. Much to the joy of other customers. Laughing at her pouting face, a merry atmosphere enveloped the inn.

"Later, I won't buy any more fish from you." She jested.

"No, no way." He put on an act of despairing.

"Oi, oi, are you sure you can find a husband like that, eh, Eve? Gahaha!" Another customer laughed.

"And you, I'll buy ale from someone else, if you keep this up."

"Ehh..."

"I see that lady is well-liked here, isn't she?" Hebi commented, biting off another chunk of fried poultry.

"Yeah," Ace agreed whole-heartedly.

"See, Bones? What did I tell you? Unlike other businesses which only provide one area of service, inns or taverns provide bedding, drinks and food. Sometimes even girls." Hebi leered, drunk.

"Therefore, they have a smattering of connections, hic. That's why I always say, the best place to gather information in the new town is either the tavern or the adventurers' guild. Hic, now praise me, the professional traveller." Hebi boasted, throwing his head high.

"Yeah, yeah, we basically know everyone in town." Eve appeared out of nowhere, entering the conversation naturally.

"Eve, more ale here!"

"Alright, coming." She replied, winking at Bones. "I'll talk to you more later. Anything you want to know, just ask."

"Haha, scary girl. It's like she knows what we want..." Bones laugh. Not being able to eat, Bones excused itself by saying it was not feeling well and left early.

* * * * *

"Hahh..." Bones sighed. Its feet dangling over the roof's edge. Being wrapped fully, it seemed as if it was trying to keep warm from the chilly sea breeze. Although it was completely insensitive to things like heat and cold. Sighing again, it faced the night sky. The round full moon glowed silver in the sea of inky darkness.

"Pretty, ain't it?" A voice jarred into its daydream. "Yo!" Eve smiled as Bones turned around. "I thought you weren't feeling well?" Sticking her tongue out as she teased. "What's wrong?"

"Aren't you busy?"

"Ah, pa and ma took over, saying that I can rest for a bit. The rush died down a bit, so should be fine. You still haven't answered my question."

"I don't know." was its honest answer.

"You don't know?" She probed as she plopped next to him. Swinging her feet idly over the roof's edge.

"Mhm, that is what's wrong. I don't know what I want. I don't know what should I do. I don't know where to go. I don't know what I should live for."

"Huh..." She muttered. Her face, downcast for a sliver of a second. Before returning to her usual cheery demeanour. Making Bones wonder if its eyes were playing tricks on it.

"Well, I don't really know myself." She leaned back on her hands, facing the sky.

"When, when I was a child," She started recounting all of the sudden. "My parents would read bedtime stories to me. We were poorer back then. So my parents had to work from dawn to dusk. We couldn't even eat together. But my parents would always read me a story before sleeping every night. That was the only time we could spend happily together as a family. It felt like pure bliss to me. My daily fatigue would just be washed away with a story. I felt as if I was purified. I could fantasize about being a valiant knight, fighting dragons and rescuing a damsel in distress."

"Hehahaha, a knight? Not a princess?" Bones cracked up unexpectedly.

"Hmph, something wrong with that?" She challenged, scrounging her face in slight embarrassment.

"You can't expect someone to save you. Only you can save yourself. That's why it's better to be the strong knight rather than be someone in trouble." She said, almost bitterly.

"Well, we've gotten a bit off track. But I want to be an author. My parents gave me this dream. What I'm saying is that,"

"By coming into contact with other people, I would find what I want to do."

"Yes. Not exactly how I would phrase it. But yeah. So there's no need to rush. You'll find something to do." She smacked Bones' back.

Grinning, she was bathed in the silvery moonlight. To Bones, she seemed sparkling and vibrant. So full of life. Ensnared by the mischevious grin that played on her lips, Bones felt something stir. An emotion long lost.

"Ah, but you still got to eat. Not eating is bad, got it?" She stood up, offering her hand. "Don't worry. If anything bad happens, you can always depend on your older sis here. I always wanted a cute little brother."

"Hahahaha," Bones cracked up.

"Wh-what?" Cheeks tinted a slight crimson, she stuttered.

"No, nothing." Bones took her hand, feeling light-hearted. Inwardly thinking. -You're the cute one here.

* * * * *

The second day Bones and its party staying in the town...

"So, like I said, chicken tastes better with mayonnaise." Ace spoke.

"No, no, no, tomato sauce is the way to go," Hebi argued back, wrapped on Ace's shoulder.

Slowing her pace down, Eve fell back to match Bones' pace. Today, Eve offered to give them a tour around the coastal town.

"Why are you so quiet? Are you still worrying about something again?"

"N-no." Bones stuttered. -It's more like I can't taste a thing. There's no way I can pick a side in this argument can I?

"Hmm... Really?" Eve peered closely.

-Too close, you're way too close... Huh? She smells kind of nice?

Illusionary beads of perspiration rolled down its cheeks.

"Remember, the illusion will reflect your state of mind. Your emotions will be apparent on your face. You won't be able to pull the same poker skeletal face. This might be troublesome during negotiations and the like. But all you have to do is keep a calm state of mind." Bianca's word of warning echoed in its skull.

-I wonder what kind of face I am making right now. Feeling self-conscious, Bones looked away. "I'm fine. Don't worry about it."

"Hm..." Eve had an unsatisfied look on her face.

But before she could grill Bones even further, Ace interrupted.

"What's going on in front?"

"Clear off! Get out of the way. Public security here." A man dressed in a white captain's hat and white navy uniform commanded. Wiping his brow with a handkerchief, he glared into space, deep in thought. He had fair hair and sky-blue eyes. His face was of well-defined proportions, sure to make the ladies swoon. 

His underlings, dressed in a white carried off a stretcher with a corpse on it.

"Doesn't that make the eleventh victim?"

"All in one night?"

"Yeah, I heard her eyeballs were gouged. Liver, kidneys and pancreas were stolen. Must be the work of a deranged lunatic who enjoys dissecting. My, how scary the society is turning these days."

"This always happens doesn't it?"

"Once in a while, there will a non-stop murder spree."

"Yes, yes, then the murderer will always be a traveller who recently come into town."

"This is why I say we should strictly regulate people who enter the town. We should not let suspicious people enter. As you can see, incidences like this keep repeating themselves.

All around, rumours spread like wildfire.

"Who's that?" Hebi asked.

"It's field captain Ekal. He's part of the Navy Public Security Bureau. Basically, they keep the law and order in this coastal town. Anyways, he's famous around here for being an elite officer. He holds the record for climbing up the ranks the fastest. Not surprising considering how recently he's been cracking down cases left and right."

"He looks very troubled though, for being an elite officer," Ace commented.

"Yeah, what's up with that? As well as the disturbing conversation that we overheard." Hebi asked.

"Well, last night, apparently, slaves were killed consecutively. Their corpses dismembered and disfigured. He's probably stressed." Eve explained.

"Slaves?" Bones wondered out loud.

"Yeah, slaves. The people who lost ownership to their own lives." Eve answered. A rare dark storm clouded her usual cheerful disposition. 

Ekal, having spotted Eve, approached.

"Oh, so this is the one?" He stared at Bones, averting his gaze as Bones met his. He offered his hand to Bones, somewhat jittery. "My name is Ekal Braun. I have known Eve for quite some time now. Any friends of hers is a friend of mine. Welcome to our town. I hope you will enjoy your stay."

"Um, excuse me, do you know the way to the market?" A random traveller asked Ekal. "I've just arrived at this town..."

"Of course, go straight from here, turning left at the next junction..." Ekal explained, his nervous energy seemed to dissipate.

Returning from the other conversation, his eyes darted all over the place. His nervousness returning, he asked. "Eve, can I have a chat with you?" For some reason, he could not face Bones in the eyes.

"Alright, I'm going to go for a while, don't wander too much you guys!"

"He seems nervous, I wonder why, hehehe." Hebi laughed somewhat lasciviously. 

"Hmm, you know why?" Bones asked.

"You fool! If he asked to speak alone to a girl, it can only mean one thing, right? It's a confession, a confession." Hebi spit.

"A confession..." Bones repeated, feeling a familiar twinge on its imaginary tongue. Associated with a sharp, sudden pang in his chest. 

"Newspaper! Newspaper! One for a copper coin!" A boy wandered around the street, shouting. 

"Hmm, Bones, get one of those. It's always useful to know the state of things."

Bones skimmed through the first page after he bought it. 

The headline was [A new gory serial killer case. Will this town ever be safe?]

The second page was [Petition for a new regulation inspecting travellers]

The third page was [Ekal promoted to Field Captain for his great job catching the traveller behind the previous murder spree]

* * * * *

Day 3

"Bones! How? How could you kill her?!" The girl's gaped mouth hung wide open, eyes as round as a full moon. She cupped her hands around her mouth.

Eve appeared in the doorway.

In front of Bones, lied the corpse of a disfigured slave girl. Her head was twisted backwards as crimson painted her sclera.

Stunned, Bones froze. Throwing its skull backwards, it started to laugh. Laugh maniacally, unrestrained, as if not only its jaw was unhinged, but its mind as well.

-Ahhh... This feeling is just the worst.

"Bones?" Ash peeked from behind. Confusion painted his tanned face. Hebi slithered out from Ace's shoulder.