Mayalyn’s Perspective continued

I should leave this city right now. I have an idea of where the ocean is now. That would be one step closer to home.

But how would I know which direction to sail? How would I get a ship? What if I run into a higher-tier monster on the way?

I don’t want to be alone.

I found a local who wasn’t scared of me, who didn’t attack me, and he even helped me.

But he’s a pervert.

What do I do!?

Mayalyn followed the blessed. She was cautious enough to stay outside of his aura. Scenting him was simple; he had a smell that was distinct from any of the locals she had encountered. An intriguing blend of fresh dirt, burning wood, metal, and blood.

If I lose his trail and can’t find him again, I’ll be throwing away my first chance at making an ally. I’ll decide what to do after watching him for a while. If he turns out to be a kiapolo and just helped me on a whim, then I’ll leave the city and head to the ocean.

Mayalyn followed him back to the library where she waited for him to leave. There was a food stand nearby where she spent the last of her money.

He better not stay in there all day, my source will only last until sometime this afternoon. I need to make my choice before then. Leave, or try to get his help.

The blessed exited the library well before noon. A young girl joined him and together they left down one of the main streets nearby.

Mayalyn observed him interact with the child while she followed. It was obvious the little girl adored him. The way she followed a single step behind him, never going more than a few paces without glancing up at his face.

At one point the child asked him a question, then he looked over his shoulder directly at Mayalyn, causing her body to flinch in surprise. She snuggled deeper into the shadows of the alley she was hiding in.

Did he really see me from this far away, has he known I was following him the entire time?

The blessed scooped the little girl off her feet and placed her on his shoulders before dancing down the road. Both of them were laughing and singing.

Despite her fear of the diminishing source within her, Mayalyn smiled.

She had seen enough, her choice was made.

A short time later, she watched them enter a building that smelled like the holy land of legends. With drool leaking from her lips, Mayalyn sat huddled in a nearby alley watching the front door.

Should I enter? What would I say? Don’t be stupid, Maymay. He can’t understand you, remember? I’m almost out of time, I need to think of something soon.

Her eyelids fluttered as she sat debating with herself about the best course of action.

So tired, I’ll just take a short nap and then figure out what to do.

Unable to think clearly, she curled up in a little ball and fell asleep.

Sounds of growling and tearing cloth woke her from the deep stasis of exhaustion. A stinging sensation on her arm snapped her consciousness into full attention.

A pack of dogs surrounded her, they bit and tore at her clothes. Their angry snapping jaws were unable to easily penetrate her Tier three skin but her ill-gotten outfit was another matter entirely.

She growled with a primal fury that only enraged the ornery beasts further.

“What in the blazin’ boar droppins’ are yah mangy mutts getting into?"

The unfamiliar voice shouted words she couldn’t understand, snapping Mayalyn out of her bestial instincts. She fled from the alley, leaving half of her outfit behind.

She dashed behind the building she had seen the blessed enter earlier. When she reached an area where his scent was stronger than ever, she dove into a nearby bush.

Tears streamed down her cheeks as she curled into a fetal ball. Her source was nearly dry, and her body's functions were shutting down one after another to preserve the last of her precious mana.

Unable to form a plan or think, she fell asleep once more.

Her stomach growled, waking her. A ravenous hunger consumed her bleary thoughts. She wasn’t herself. Somewhere deep inside, Mayalyn understood she was not in control. Hunger held the reins of her consciousness, all else was secondary at best.

She devoured the food in front of her. Where it came from, or what it was, never crossed her mind.

Shortly after the meal her brain resumed normal functions and she could think enough to realize it must have been the blessed who brought her the food.

This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

Tears, once more, stained her cheeks at the kindness. She now realized she had been close to death. In this city, devoid of density, her body would have stopped functioning completely in just a few more hours.

The blessed tossed some clothes out of the window for her before he shut it.

Her sobs redoubled in ferocity.

Somehow, I’m going to repay his kindness.

She changed into the new clothes. They reeked of his scent.

How many times has he sweated in these clothes?! It’s so gross, this strong smell.

Despite her inner claims of disgust, she snuggled into the warm clothes, luxuriating in the strong aroma.

Sleep took her again. She dreamed of walking peacefully through the streets of Cruex with her head held high. Friends and family at her side, all boldly displaying their marks.

She dreamed of discovering new magic and technologies, sailing across the seas, and battling a thousand angry dogs.

Always, he was with her in those dreams, standing behind her with a calm smile on his face. His blessed aura protected her from the swooping alphas while she enjoyed her adventures.

A booming noise jerked her awake. Her body reacted without thought, springing into action. A great and powerful force tangled her legs together. The cobwebs that coated her brain were banished the moment her face met a wooden floor.

She tried to leap to her feet but whatever had tangled her feet, tripped her once more.

Mayalyn recognized the aura that gently wrapped around her body. An entire childhood of conditioning caused her to cease her struggles instantly as the aura enveloped her.

It wasn’t the same feeling as her great uncle’s aura. His powerful presence had permeated her village long before the day she was born. That power brooked no argument and would smash any dissent with impunity.

This aura oozed comfort, amusement, and annoyance in equal measure.

His aura felt different yesterday, did it change somehow? Aura’s can’t change, I must be imagining it.

Brushing her thoughts away, she looked around and realized that she was in his room.

How did I get in here?

He set her down and spoke, she couldn’t follow his words at all.

“Why am I in your room? Are you going to do something perverted again?”

He responded in a long tirade of words. She tried her best to remember them or pick out anything she recognized. At the very end, he spoke a word she latched onto. Something she had heard many times in the market and knew the meaning of.

“Help!” She said with a jubilant expression.

This is it, I have to make him understand I want to return the favor for all the help he gave me yesterday!

“Help, me, you!” She said while pointing to herself and then to him.

He touched his face in a strange mannerism she did not recognize. The palm of his hand hit his forehead with a meaty thwack.

He must be thinking about how I can help him.

When he jumped out of bed, wearing only some skimpy shorts, and looked at her expectantly, she knew what he wanted. The blush of embarrassment nearly overwhelmed her.

She stood frozen with no idea how to possibly respond to his sick desires.

When he spoke to her again and motioned with his fingers that she should turn around, realization finally dawned on her and she spun around so fast that she nearly lost her balance.

Maymay! What is wrong with you! Get it together. It’s this stupid room with this stupid smell, I can’t think straight in here.

She was overwhelmed with relief when he was done dressing and introduced himself. She happily gave him her own family name, passed down through generations of leaders.

He limply repeated it back to her. His lack of enthusiasm at her family's pride vexed her enough that she made a face to let him know he had made a serious mistake.

He asked if she wanted to stay. She was glad she understood the word so she could make it clear that staying here was not an option.

She was not going to sit around while he was gone for who knows how long.

How am I supposed to help if I’m cooped up in this room? Besides, I’m starving and there’s no food in here.

He headed for the only door in the room so she scrambled to get her tattered cloak in place. Even if it had several holes it would still obscure her marks a little.

A soft white light sprouted inside his chest. She was barely able to track it with her eyes as it sped through his body and out his finger that was pointed right at her ears.

What did he just do to my beautiful ears?!

By the time she reached up to touch their soft fur and realized nothing had changed, he repeated his strange magic on her tail, which vanished from her eyes.

A shimmering in the air solidified into some kind of reflective flat surface. Mayalyn regarded her image with conflicted emotions.

Her ears and tail vanishing from sight were convenient for sure. The amount of source she would save was significant. It was the rest of her that was the problem.

Her hair was a mess. The usual ribbons that held it in place had been left in a small bowl in her room. Her necklace was gone, she had barely missed its weight around her neck until now.

The dark circles under her brown eyes were a testament to her lack of sleep. Her skin had a pale pallor that would have made her mother shriek with worry.

Mayalyn had never seen herself looking so miserable.

No wonder he’s not interested in my family name. I look like something the tides would wash back onto the shore in disgust.

A flicker of movement alerted her to the fact that he was almost at the end of the hallway. He walked away from her at a brisk pace. She scrambled to catch up, leaving her unfortunate reflection behind.

Mayalyn pushed hard to catch up with Jiran as he ran through the streets. He was always just a step faster than her no matter how hard she pushed.

A sudden flare of pride erupted inside of her. Without hesitating, she reactivated her chakha and ran at full speed. He was still faster than her.

She felt the change on her skin. His aura morphed from the comfort, amusement, and annoyance of before, to a heavy feeling of excited desire.

Not the perverted desire she would expect from him, but a desire to pick something apart until all its secrets were revealed.

When he looked back at her with a huge grin, her emotions soared uncontrollably. At that moment, he looked just like her dad. She nearly burst into tears and fell when the nostalgia assaulted her heart.

Mayalyn continued to follow him, lost in the memories of home. Before she realized it, they were well past the city gates and running through the fields of rotting grass.