Chapter 18 - Gaslight

Eris

Screaming Bamboo Forest

Gas Station #1

“Do… do you want to talk about it?” Danae asked nervously.

No, absolutely not. That was the last thing I wanted.

“Oh, come now, you know you want to. She’s such a good listener,” Apex purred, my fingers curling into frustrated fists. “Plus, you’ll need my powers, won’t you? How about this? If you answer the girl’s questions, I’ll give you a pass. She’ll be my proxy.”

I side-eyed Danae as she marched through the marshes beside me. She was looking rather refreshed after our stay at Nyx’s camp – almost suspiciously so. Bright-eyed and bushy tailed and smiling in delight as she crunched away at that enormous plate of snake tempura she was still carrying, her hearth spirit enveloping it in a bubble of gold like some sort of sacred relic. To keep the fog off, she had said.

Clearly, she was also feeling well enough to pry into my affairs. Yet she still shied from my gaze, her eyes dropping to the ground. This was still Danae – still a vulpin – their race always weak, demure, and easily subdued.

The trade was to my advantage.

“Fine. You have a deal.”

And to Danae, “No. I don’t wish to talk. Not at all.” With that, I marched ahead of her, leaving the vulpin to follow in my steaming wake.

Silence met that response – even the crunching stopped.

Okay… perhaps that was too harsh.

“What would I even have to talk about?” I added with a shrug.

There, an easy rhetorical question that wouldn’t have any follow-up—

“Maybe blowing up the camp?” Danae offered nervously.

Was that even a question? I tested by drawing on Apex’s power—nothing. Damn it.

“Well, that’s—” I began, hesitating. “That was just a reflex. He surprised me.”

“Horus?” Danae asked.

I flinched. Flinched! Me? An immortal warrior that had stood down armies of corrupted beasts. Was this how far I’d fallen – how tenuous my hold on my own sanity had become? My control wasn’t just slipping away… it was already sprinting toward horizon – likely driving an impossibly huge death wagon.

Ahh, Danae was still waiting.

And that one was definitely a question.

“Yes,” I answered shortly.

I just needed to stay calm. Short responses. Offer nothing.

“Hmm, you seem uncomfortable around him. It feels like you even avoid saying his name. Are you… nervous maybe?” Danae continued.

I whirled, steam wafting. “Nervous? Why would I be nervous? I’ve braved the depths of Tartarus. Stood against armies. Horus is nothing compared to what I’ve endured.”

Danae didn’t look convinced.

“Fine. Perhaps I am… concerned. He could be in league with Kastor and even with this Nyx, after all. He probably manufactured that whole thing – seduced me into—into relaxing, just to put me off my guard.”

Ahh. That wasn’t the concise response I’d planned.

Danae just met my glare with a wide-eyed, blank stare, plopping another piece of fried snake in her mouth and crunching down. Oh, how that sound irritated me—

And yet I so badly wanted another piece.

“I am merely suspicious and rightfully so. That tempura? His so-called cooking skills? The… the massages? It’s must all be part of this plot. It has to be. He must have wanted me to fall asleep. Who knows what he was up to while I was unconscious. What he could have done to me—

I paused, my cheeks flushing as several images suddenly swept through my somewhat imperfect mind—Horus’ strong fingers working at the straps of my armor, and then my clinging wet clothing—only to be forced aside just as quickly. Especially when Danae’s tails flicked curiously and she cocked her head, those huge eyes watching me with rapt attention.

“I, uh, I even wonder if he might have poisoned the tempura,” I covered quickly.

The vulpin’s brow furrowed and she glanced down at her sacred plate quizzically.

I scoffed, throwing up my hands in frustration. “But that’s clearly impossible. I have no explanation for how we slept so long – days by my calculation. Apex would have purged any poison from my—

Another pause. A brief doubt. Unless Apex had allowed Horus to poison me—

No. That was crazy, paranoid even. No spirit would threaten their own vessel. Nyx was just getting to me – his madness infectious.

When I looked back up, Danae was holding a hand to her stomach, the palm glowing. As she saw me looking, her hand whipped away.

“Anything?” I asked, already anticipating the answer.

“No… of course not,” she answered, her voice cracking slightly.

“See? There must be some sort of plot at work,” I announced, already moving on. “Now, if only I knew how to respond to these attacks…”

This wasn’t my battlefield of choice – these words and feelings. Killing monsters was simpler. Easier.

Danae nodded slowly, eyeing her sacred tempura warily, confusion and uncertainty and a strange longing lingering in her gaze. Then her eyes shifted back to me and brightened in an instant – as though she’d had an epiphany.

“Or, um, is it possible you’re approaching this the wrong way?”

My brow furrowed. “How do you mean?”

“Well, perhaps you just need to look at the situation with fresh eyes. Horus prepared a meal for you, clean bedding, stoked the fire, prepared a fresh meal, and even eased your vessel’s pain. Almost, like he respects you – maybe even cares for you. How would you typically respond to that?” she asked.

We stood there for several long seconds.

Me processing Danae’s words.

Her reaching a paw down to snatch another tempura, inspecting it closely, then letting out a sigh before plopping it in her mouth, her sharp little teeth crunching down hard. I could practically see the stress melt from her shoulders with each delicious bite.

“How would I respond?” I echoed, perfectly fine. Perfectly controlled.

Certainly not processing Danae’s last statement over and over in an infinite repeating loop – every detail recorded with painstaking care and forever enshrined in the glowing gemstone on my finger. One that threatened to destroy the rest of my fragile, imperfect mind.

Maybe he cares for me? Cares? Cares how? As a subordinate? A colleague? As a friend? Or as something… more? How could a single irritating word carry such depth – such ambiguity – such troubling implications?

Danae just nodded with a happy, oblivious smile. “Yeah, like what if – hypothetically – this whole conspiracy was nonsense? What if he just genuinely cared for you?”

In that moment, I finally saw Danae’s true value.

It was like the whole of the Five Rivers had shifted.

“You are absolutely, 100% percent right,” I murmured.

“Ahh, good. Glad I could help—”

“I’ve been letting Horus get to me – letting his mind games work. I’ve been asking myself over and over… how do I get Horus to admit to the conspiracy? How do I fight back? Yet, you just handed me the answer. If Horus is pretending to care for me, possibly even trying to—trying to flirt with me, then there’s only one way to respond.”

“Uh, and that’s what exactly?” Danae asked, looking confused.

My fingers twisted anxiously at my ring and more details came into focus. Danae’s pupils were quite large and her motor coordination appeared to be deteriorating – the vulpin stumbling and weaving in place. Perhaps her vessel was not fully recovered despite her rest.

Although, the answer to her question was obvious now.

“Of course, I need to make Horus think I return his affections.”

“What?” That was Danae and Apex at the same time.

“Not because I actually care for him, of course,” I reassured them both quickly. “I am in complete control of my emotions. This is purely to protect the order from Kastor.”

There was only silence then – the two of them mulling over the brilliance of my plan.

“So… you’re saying you plan to date Horus?” Danae asked.

“Pretend to flirt with Horus,” I amended sharply. “Let’s not get crazy.”

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

“Do you… do you know how to flirt?”

“That is a really good question,” Apex murmured.

I blinked. Well, that was—

Hmm. Possibly a problem.

But how difficult could it be? I mean, I had excelled at subterfuge with Danae – specifically, the bribery and double entendre. Plus, I’d planned our current mission—

Ahh, that reminded me. We were almost within sight of our target.

“Silence. The enemy structure is near,” I commanded.

Not to avoid her question – of course not. This was for the mission.

The smoke had been visible from several miles away – a thick, dark column of soot jetting up through the mist. Only one person would be crazy enough to build a fire big enough to produce that much smoke. And then, of course, there was the unusual part… The glowing green light shining through that thick black smog – like some sort of emerald eye.

“Horus should have already circled around the structure by now,” I murmured as we stalked forward. “No doubt, he will wait for our signal…”

I trailed off as we approached. The structure the emerged from the fog was unlike anything I’d ever seen before. My feet slowed as my simmering eyes took in fresh chaos, my fingers twist, twisting, twisting at my ring as I recorded every insane detail.

Where to even start?

Perhaps the screaming bamboo forest that emerged from the mist – the one that lingered behind the strange structure, stretching off toward the horizon. A forest that was most definitely not recorded on the Orders maps. I would know. Screaming Bamboo was an incredibly insidious and invasive species.

The ground around the structure was also covered in a thick layer of some sort of… rock? Perhaps stone? Yet, it looked like it had been poured into molds and then swept flat and smooth. The building was built of more of the same, stretching up only a single story and creating a squat, fortified stone bunker nearly 20 meters square. One with windows. A door built of more solid concrete and mounted on a crude hinge. More shutters made of the same. Both meant to be locked from the inside. Impossibly large and heavy.

More of that odd material had been used to build a nearby spire that stretched far up into the mists overhead before flattening into a rough oval – a sign, that was clear now. One made out of some sort of spines that had been embedded into the stone, their tips glowing bright green. One that announced that this was “Gas Station #1” – whatever that was supposed to mean. One that was encircled by more emerald spines in the shape of an eye.

And before the structure and strange spire?

A massive, squat pedestal nearly five meters long and three meters wide – a flat, rectangular awning stretched overtop and built of more of that strange stone.

The source of the smoke was also clear now.

It was coming from the truly enormous furnace built into that pedestal. One that was so hot and bright that it burned away the mist. I could even feel its heat from here.

I forced my feet to move again, a headache starting to pound behind my temples even as my ring kept spinning, recording each and every impossible detail.

Even as bright energy condensed along my fingertips.

The fire seemed fresh. Which meant the Hollow was likely still here.

Which meant I needed to stay alert—

A brief flash of movement from the entrance of the gas station and my beam arced forward, slicing at ankle level. It wouldn’t kill – only incapacitate the Hollow, the wounds seared shut to prevent him from bleeding out. Besides, he couldn’t run away without feet… and Danae could always reattach them.

Yet time seemed to slow as I came face to face with a stranger.

A dirty, sapian man who appeared to be… shaving? That certainly looked like water on his chin; a razor in his hand. He looked surprised, then terrified as those fiery beams arced toward his tender, unprotected legs in slow motion…

Apex had been true to his word, allowing me to enhance my perception and to borrow his flame. Yet there were still limits. No matter how hard I pulled back at my arm, it wouldn’t be enough. There was nothing I could do – nothing Danae could do as she just blinked in surprise and slowly raised more tempura toward her mouth.

Then a hoof slammed down in front of that strange man.

My beam arced harmlessly across Horus leg as he stepped out from behind the furnace and met us both with a big smile. My beam left a dark, smoky line across the backside of the furnace and clipped the bottom corner of the sign before sputtering out. Not that Horus seemed to notice, thankfully.

And no harm was done. The sapian was still alive, his razor clattering to the ground, dropping from trembling fingers as he stared at me in wide-eyed horror.

See? Totally fine. Only mild mental trauma.

“Ahh, you’re finally here!” Horus greeted us, several crude-yet-painfully-familiar kitchen utensils orbiting him, each one glowing a bright white. He was also wearing an apron, one that somehow fit his enormous frame. “Want a burger?”

He waved at an enormous grill where several dozen thick slabs of meat were sizzling, a plate of some sort of root vegetable slices lingering just beside it – each one lightly roasted.

“No, we are—”

Danae shoved me aside. “Yes, please!” She answered as she stuck her face close to the grill and took a long, languid sniff, her fur singed from the heat. Yet she paid that no mind, her saliva evaporating as it landed on the furnace.

“Mmmmmmm, it smells so good,” she growled.

“My Lady, would you like one?” Horus asked, his spatulas flipping the “burgers.”

“No, I’m—”

Another growl. This time my stomach. I suppose it had been a long hike; a while since we’d last eaten. Fine. One couldn’t hurt. For research, of course.

“Yes, fine. One. But first, report,” I commanded. Danae looked at me like her unit had just died… again. Yet she would live. She had the first time. “What is going on here? Who is that sapian man and those other people?”

More were emerging from the gas station. A couple savrans. A vulpin. Their bodies lacked the nimbus to be Guides. Not a threat. And certainly not our quarry.

“Ahh, so I circled ahead as you directed, but after watching the location, it became clear that the Hollow wasn’t here. Instead, I found these survivors trying to light the grill,” he said, waving at the structure before him with a grin. “They were having trouble so I gave them a hand. The trick is to use all of the lumber at once. Also, it gets pretty hot.”

“You can’t stand within fifty paces, you mean,” the sapian man muttered.

That might also explain why the savrans were sweating and hiding in the building. And why Danae was using her shield to ward off the heat. I’d hardly noticed.

That, fortunately, was a problem I could fix. Apex drained some of the flames, bringing the temperature down. “Better?” I asked.

The strangers nodded and slowly approached, Horus greeting them and asking for their orders. The food did smell divine…

No. This is what happened last time. I’d gotten distracted. I needed to focus.

This time, I didn’t plan to just fall asleep.

This time, I planned to flirt.

“Did you say survivors?” I asked. “A monster attack then? You must have beaten it quite quickly – I don’t even see any evidence of the kill.”

Horus glanced at me in surprise, his eyes giving a soft ivory pulse at my words. I would stroke his ego. That should work, right? Most of the men I knew were incredibly arrogant. All they spoke about was their kills streaks and their combat prowess.

“No, not him,” one of the savrans hissed. “Our savior."

I just blinked, turning toward him. “Your what?”

“The one who built this place. We got attacked by sea serpents in the river. They destroyed our boat and left us stranded in the swamp. We only survived because we saw the green glow through the mist. To think anyone would build a bunker like this in the middle of the marsh.” The savran shook his head, an awestruck expression on his scaly face.

He couldn’t possibly be talking about—

No, that was too crazy to even consider. Too impossible… even if all the evidence pointed to one inevitable, ridiculous, insane conclusion.

“Ahh, but you can see him for yourself,” the old sapian man offered.

And then he was pointing… at the statue on the other side of the gas station.

The one that slammed a final nail into my mental coffin.

The one of Nyx. It was oversized, of course, towering three meters. Incredibly detailed. Each and every scar. That crazed look in his eye I’d seen right before those rats had slammed the door to Emporos’ wagon shut – the one burned into my perfect, screaming mind. He’d even incorporated his arm chain.

Then there were the inevitable questions, each one another shovel-full of dirt crashing against the lid of that coffin, the weight growing. Why the burger in one hand? Why did the inscription below it declare him to be the “Reigning Staring Contest Champion of the Screaming Bamboo Forest?” And why was his other hand pointing off into the distance—

Ahh, that would be the reason right there.

Behind the gas station, someone had punched a hole through the dense bamboo forest – one impossibly wide. That itself was impossible.

The bamboo was incredibly sturdy – resistant to most weapons – its root system went down nearly five feet, and it re-grew quickly – very quickly. Screaming bamboo was considered a threat even close to Asphodel and infestations were taken very seriously. Typically, an entire division was required for removal. And that was for a small infestation. This was a forest. It would take… three divisions, at least? Maybe more?

It was impassable for anyone under gold rank.

Or, at least, it should have been.

Yet that wasn’t the worst of it.

He’d… he’d somehow paved it.

The ground was completely coated in that weird stone.

“Ahh, you noticed the highway. Isn’t it a beauty?” the sapian man asked between bites of his burger. “With this, we could probably make it to Apati in just a week or two. We thought we’d have to go around. That would have taken months.”

The others were nodding in agreement. Like that was a reasonable position.

Like Nyx had done some sort of good here? Had… saved lives?

My perfect mind simply couldn’t handle it. My fingers just kept twist, twist, twisting at my ring – searching through those million crazy details for any other explanation. My skin was on fire, my heart racing. Fast. Too fast. And my breath only came in shallow, rapid gasps. I was suddenly feeling lightheaded and the world swam. And all the while, that statue seemed to be staring right at me; laughing at me – as if it was mocking me.

“My Lady?” Horus growled, suddenly at my side, his hand steadying me as I stumbled. “Are you okay? Perhaps you need food and rest?”

I blinked, suddenly staring up into his glowing white eyes.

And in that moment… all of those buzzing questions drained away.

“My Lady?” Horus asked again. “I already took the liberty of preparing your accommodations for the evening. Would you like me to take you to bed?”

Ba-bump.

That was all it took for it all to come rushing back – that one question.

Before I knew it, I punched him. Hard.

Horus’ impressive bulk sailed backward, his back crashing into the gas station wall and causing the entire structure to buckle and moan as I disturbed the bamboo that must be embedded in the walls. Moans that only reminded me of—

No! Oh, no! This was supposed to be pretend…

Although, as I saw the billowing wave of dust where Horus had collided with the Gas station, my confusion was replaced with a new, novel emotion. A gnawing, hollow thing that lingered in my stomach. The expressions of the others only made it worse – shock, awe, and fear warring for dominance on their faces. Danae simply stared at me, mouth agape and eyes wide. I already knew what she must be thinking.

Had I ruined it? I was supposed to be flirting.

And now all these people were staring at me like I was… like I was Nyx.

Like I was the crazy one? Which was clearly ridiculous!

I squeezed my eyes shut, rubbing at one temple, trying to find my center.

“My Lady,” a familiar voice growled.

My eyes snapped open to find Horus standing there. Perfectly fine. His fur wasn’t even dirty. And that expression on his face, that bloodlust I was suddenly feeling… it was invigorating. Before I knew it, magma was beading on my fingertips again – hot and wet. I just don’t know what came over me. I wanted so badly to hit him again—

“I take it you’re not yet ready to sleep,” Horus replied, looking me dead in the eye. “But please let me know if you change your mind.”

Ba-bump.

Never mind. I take it all back.

I was very good at flirting. Possibly even too good.

Then he sniffed at the air. “Ahh, the burgers are nearly done!” Horus realized, his spatulas already tossed them onto the buns in a flurry of movement. Then they carried the plate to an oversized table picnic table resting nearby – one clearly built for giants.

Danae was already sitting there, just waiting, and the others soon gathered round and took their seats cautiously. They gave me a wide berth as I joined them. And only because my vessel required sustenance – that must be why I nearly fainted a moment before. Not because I enjoyed Horus’ cooking. Obviously.

Yet before Danae could bite into her burger, the others did something strange.

“Before we eat, it’s important to say the mantra,” the sapian man offered.

My brow furrowed. “The what? What mantra—"

The man waved at the table. Ahh, yes. There it was. Another insane detail lost among a thousand others – those words etched into the surface. Not just Nyx’s name – not this time. This time, he’d left a message. One written by the refugees’ “savior” himself.

Then they all took each other’s hands, bowed their heads and recited the following words – words that were permanently etched into my mind.

“We thank ourselves for being such amazing hunters and surviving this cesspit of hell. We deserve every bit of this food. May the Flow dry up and go fuck itself. Amen.”

Blasphemous. Profane. Insane.

And yet, everyone else was already eating – even Horus and Danae.

Could… could it be that maybe I was the one that had it wrong? Was I really giving into Nyx’s madness; Kastor’s plot? Or was I making it all up? Could this Nyx actually be an agent for good? Simply a misunderstood young man? Was I imagining enemies where none existed to avoid an even more uncomfortable truth—

However, those questions were all blown away as I took a single, tentative bite.

This… this was absolutely, sinfully delicious.

Or maybe I was just overthinking it. Maybe the answer would be clearer on a full stomach. Maybe even a second helping and a short nap.

It was important to hunt your prey with a clear head, after all.