Nocturne could feel her head starting to throb with pain. She brought a hand to her temple and slowly massaged it. Forming the barrier, helping others to fend off the monsters, and healing magic without a break was too much for her, even with her magical orb helping her. It didn’t help that she was constantly getting bumped into and she had to push others to get to places.
She sighed, silently. It wasn’t like someone would hear her. Her voice and presence were small. Unlike most of her kin, which were slightly bigger and had better physical attributes compared to humans, she had always been on the smaller and weaker side. That, combined with her ears being oversized caused her to be the target of bullying when she was a child. That ended very quickly when it was discovered that her mana reserves and talent for magic were excellent.
Maybe it was a way of the universe balancing itself. Beastkin had excellent physical capabilities but their mana reserves and magic talent were lower. That’s why mages like her or Amaterasu were very respected and were at the very heart of the societies.
While Nocturna liked not being bullied, she didn’t like the attention. Other’s gazes felt… Uncomfortable.
Why didn’t Ancestor Spirits give her a body like Amaterasu? She was tall, beautiful, and smart while being a better mage than her. She couldn’t help but feel jealous. She stopped for a second.
“On second thought, maybe it is better.”
She probably would get more attention if she had a body like that.
She fixed her clothes. They were ruffled due to how many people she had to push through.
“I am here. How can I help you?”
Nocturna said as she entered the tent. Her voice was barely above a whisper despite trying to be loud. She felt embarrassment creep upon her as everyone in the tent looked at her. Did they hear her? Did she have to repeat herself?
“How is the barrier?”
Morrigan asked her. She looked tired and roughed up with her clothes being damaged. However, that didn’t make her look bad at all. Her ripped sleeves revealed very developed arms and shoulders. Nocturna had trouble tearing her eyes off them before answering. Nocturna didn’t personally know Morrigan before. However, she heard countless stories about her exploits. How many slavers she defeated and how many she saved. She was basically a legend among beastkin and Nocturna could speak to her directly. How exciting it was!
“I-We tried our best. But without any mana stones or energy sources to power it, I don’t know how long we can make it last.”
She hated that she had to give that kind of answer. But she couldn’t lie and risk others’ lives.
“I think I might have a solution for that.”
Nocturna nearly jumped when she heard Poyraz speak. It wasn’t like he was in shadows like the last time she met him. She didn’t even know why she was startled. Maybe because he was a human? Her eyes opened with surprise when she realized how wounded he was.
His left arm and face were bandaged and he was paler than the last time she saw him. Wounds that could be seen under his clothes also looked painful. But what caught her attention most were his eyes and hair color. His hair was grey when she last saw him but now it was brown. His eyes, which were dark shade of purple and bestial now looked brown, normal human eyes. She heard about some martial techniques and magic changing one’s appearance when used. Maybe this was his real appearance.
She felt a wave of disappointment. Not only she thought he looked hotter than before she also hoped that he was a half-breed with his eyes looking like a beastkin’s. With how intermingled humans and beastkin were half-breeds were fairly common. Even though most of the time they weren’t born out of love…
While Poyraz didn’t have beast ears or a tail, Nocturna read about how half-breeds with human mothers not having ears. Half-breeds usually took more of their mother’s physical appearance so Nocturna thought it was possible for him to be a half-breed.
Poyraz opened his pouch and pulled out several mana stones. And several more. And several more. Nocturna gulped. Even with the distance between Poyraz and her, she could feel the mana coming from them. She was sure the monsters which held those mana stones were nothing to scoff at.
“Can these work?”
Amaterasu stepped forward to look at them.
“Yes, they can.”
Amaterasu nodded after a quick inspection.
“But is it okay? They are worth a small fortune.”
“Lives of several dozen people versus a small fortune… Hmm. Very hard choice to make.”
Poyraz laughed.
“We will pay you back when we make it to Whifur. I promise on my family name.”
Morrigan declared.
“I’ll immediately reinforce the barrier.”
Nocturna felt inspired by Poyraz’s sacrifice and wanted to move quickly.
“No.”
Amaterasu’s rejection felt like a slap to her face. She felt her face heat up with embarrassment.
“We have another job to do.”
Poyraz said.
“We are going on an adventure!”
Lily shouted while opening his arms wide. Nocturna listened intently as Lily's words echoed through the tent.
“An adventure?”
Nocturna muttered in confusion. Poyraz covered his face with his healthy hand.
“Don’t confuse the poor girl. Nocturna, we may have a chance to get rid of those monsters if we follow this compass. However, it will be risky. We think that your abilities as a mage can help us. If you do not want to join us, I won’t blame you. Nobody will.”
Poyraz looked back at the others and they nodded. Nocturna looked at the compass Poyraz was holding. It gave a faint light and she could feel that it was a magical item.
"I... I want to join too," Nocturna spoke up, her voice wavering slightly. "I want to be a part of this quest."
Poyraz smiled warmly, his eyes reflecting gratitude.
"Thank you, Nocturna. Your magic will be crucial on this journey. We're glad to have you with us."
Lily ran towards her, causing her to startle. He hugged her and lifted her up. Because of the height difference her face got buried into his chest.
Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
“Welcome to the team! Let’s not die!”
Feeling his muscular body against her body caused Nocturna’s already warm face to burn up. She was released when Poyraz grabbed Lily’s hair and yanked it. A moan echoed in the tent.
“Don’t invade other people’s personal space. Also don’t moan like a weirdo.”
Nocturna wanted to ask why Amaterasu wasn’t going with them. Surely, she was their first choice. However, she was too stunned by what happened to ask that. Amaterasu approached Nocturna, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.
"You have made a brave choice, Nocturna. I will be helping others to hold the barrier. We are believing you.”
Both Morrigan and Arslan nodded to Amaterasu’s words. With the reassurance of people she respected, Nocturna’s resolve solidified.
"Thank you, Amaterasu. I won't let you down."
Nocturna watched as the group sprang into action. Poyraz’s bag of holding already held water and food but they still packed what little they could find. Once everyone was ready, Poyraz led the way out of the tent and into the dimly lit forest. Nocturna saw a small furball run behind Poyraz.
“Will you be okay Poyraz? Maybe give the compass to me since you can only use one hand?”
Lily suggested.
“Yeah, that may be a better idea.”
Poyraz handed it to Lily. But the moment he did that, the light coming from the compass ceased.
“I think it is a bonded item.”
Nocturna made a guess.
“Shit. I would be surprised if that fairy made our job easier.”
Poyraz silently cursed.
“Welp, guess fighting will be my and Nocturna’s job.”
Poyraz groaned. Despite his wounds, he sounded like he didn’t like the idea of leaving combat to others.
“Hey, Lily. Don’t you also have a contract with a Wind Spirit? Can’t that skill help us?”
“Nope!”
Lily answered nonchalantly.
“You aren’t going to explain why it won’t help us, are you?”
“Nope!”
Nocturna felt her ears perk up. A contract with wind spirit? Was Lily an Elementalist? Wow, it was rare to find an Elementalist. It was especially hard for a human to become one. And costly from what Nocturna read. Elemental spirits often took a lot off when they handed their powers to others. How could Poyraz not know that?
Nocturna wanted to ask it but she felt too embarrassed to do so. It also wasn’t her place. They walked in silence. The silence was broken several times by Lily trying to make a joke but Poyraz quickly made him shut up. By slapping him. It was a weird sight to behold for Nocturna.
Thankfully, they didn’t meet with any hostile creatures. In truth, they didn’t meet with anything. The forest was all silent. Heavy trees not only blocked most of the light with their branches reaching to the sky like skeletal fingers, but they also blocked most of the noise. Even before they went too far away from their group, they couldn’t hear them. Now that they were fairly far away no noises were present. Normally the common sound of rustling leaves, the chirping of birds, and the scurrying of woodland creatures—all absent, as if nature itself abandoned the forest.
It disturbed Nocturna. It wasn’t natural. It caused her to be paranoid, expecting an enemy to pop up from every tree. She looked at her companions and she saw that their faces were the same. Lily had a grin on his face and clearly enjoyed the “adventure” he was having. Poyraz still had a frown. His eyes were focused and alternated between the compass he held and the road ahead.
Unknown to Nocturna, it wasn’t the first time her companions experienced something like that. Back at their home, under the nuclear winter so-called “silent forests” were all they had.
The absence of natural sounds weighed heavily on Nocturna's ears, making her acutely aware of each footstep and the rustle of leaves as they made their way through the dense forest. Every once in a while, she caught glimpses of movement in her peripheral vision, but when she turned to look, there was nothing there. It was as if the shadows themselves were playing tricks on her.
Poyraz suddenly stopped, causing Nocturna to startle.
“Hm.”
Lily put a hand on his sword’s hilt.
“Did we get lost? I should have known better than trusting your sense of direction.”
Despite Lily’s light-hearted tone, Nocturna noticed his grip getting tighter. Poyraz raised an eyebrow hearing Lily.
“You have no right to talk about my sense of direction Mister I nearly killed an entire squad because I lost the keys.”
“That was only one time!”
Poyraz put the compass into his pocket. Then he raised his five fingers to air.
“Yes, there are more than that time. But I currently do not have enough healthy fingers to count. So, Lily please.”
Nocturna jumped as Lily, who was just beside her, disappeared with a gust of wind. The next time she saw him he was several trees away from her. The wind blew and something flew. Nocturna heard Poyraz click his tongue.
“This… This will make things difficult.”
Nocturna’s face turned sour with what she saw. At first, she was ready to fight against whatever monster blocked their path but the thing in front of them wasn’t a monster.
It was a beastkin. At least he used to be. The beastkin's body was twisted and contorted, its once humanoid form now a grotesque amalgamation of human and beast. The fur covering several parts of his body was matted and disheveled, patches of skin marred with open wounds. Its limbs were elongated and misshapen, ending in razor-sharp claws that twitched uncontrollably. Dagger-like fangs tore his face from the inside.
The half-transformed beastkin let out a guttural growl, his eyes reflecting a glimmer of recognition and pain. It struggled to form coherent words, its voice a raspy whisper.
"Help... me... please..."
Nocturna rushed to poor beastkin’s side to cast healing magic. However, his claws shot toward her. If it wasn’t for Poyraz grabbing her by her hood and pulling away her throat was ripped open.
“Hurt! Hurt! Sorry! Kill!”