From the cozy confines of Lorelei's sachet, Alec had a limited view of the cityscape, a cat's-eye glimpse of the surrounding urban tapestry. Even though his field of vision was akin to peeking through a keyhole, he managed to snag a few juicy tidbits about the city.
His earlier notion of a medieval wonderland was promptly shredded. No towering castles or cobblestone streets here. Instead, Alec's keen eyes, framed by the sachet's small opening, caught glimpses of skyscrapers—towering black structures flirting with the clouds. The streets were a wild mix of buildings adorned with neon-like designs, giving off futuristic vibes that would make any time-traveling cat do a double take.
As they meandered through, Alec spotted symbols etched on the walls, like some cosmic graffiti. His universal language comprehension module, usually the cat's pajamas when it came to understanding languages, seemed to be on vacation. Either these symbols were the hieroglyphics of a language it didn't comprehend, or Alec wondered if they were just random doodles for aesthetic purposes. Given the vibe of this place, he was leaning towards the former. It seemed even in this world, the language game was a tricky puzzle, and Alec was just a curious kitten trying to fit the pieces together.
Well, you can't have everything gift-wrapped for you. Seems like I'll need to add 'linguist' to my resume. Alec thought wryly, his inner monologue echoing with resignation.
The sudden pause in their journey brought Alec back to the present. Lorelei's announcement snapped him out of his contemplative trance. "We're here," she informed him, "I'll be lifting the spell, there won't be much information overload for your senses now that we’re out of the crowded parts. Ready for it?"
Alec peeked out from the sachet's opening, revealing a garden and a house. Do we really have to do this? He pondered, knowing well that he couldn't stay in the sensory-safe bubble forever. With a reluctant meow, he signalled his agreement.
As Lorelei lifted the spell, Alec felt like a bubble popping around him, plunging him back into the whirlpool of smells and voices. Yet, this time, he approached it like a seasoned warrior. Following Lorelei's advice, he filtered through the sensory barrage bit by bit until he felt like a cat on a lazy Sunday afternoon—relaxed and in control.
His focus honed in on a peculiar smell wafting from the first floor of the house. The voices inside, loud enough for his eavesdropping ears, hinted at something intriguing ongoing.
Amidst the fragrance of blooming flowers, a domestic tempest unfurled its turbulent tendrils. The air was charged with impassioned voices, a symphony of familial discord echoing through the open window.
"Wait, WAIT! I'M JUST ABOUT DONE, MUM! THIS IS THE LAST PART!" pleaded a feminine tone, her voice a fervent plea that danced through the blossoms.
"Victoria?! How many times must I remind you not to conduct alchemical experiments AT HOME?" admonished a second weary voice.
"Ugh… Mom?! Can't you wait for three seconds? I'd be done after adding this last part!"
"No! That's enough. Your incessant annoyance is too much for me! The neighbours have complained, even the city guards have warned us because you keep releasing those chemical fumes through the window!"
"WHO CARES! FUCK THE CITY GUARDS!"
"I SAID ENOUGH!"
A sudden shuffle, a collective holding of breath, preceded a pungent aroma that pirouetted through the garden. The voices, once in heated discourse, resumed in a tense ballet between mother and daughter.
"H-Hey mum, why are you looking at me like that? Cool it!" stammered the voice that Alec assumed belonged to Victoria, her protest a fragile melody in the discordant composition.
"Victoria, I said I've had ENOUGH!"
"Nooo!!!" Victoria's protestation, a desperate cry, hung like a fading note before the narrative took an unexpected turn.
With a thunderous boom, a silhouette was expelled from the open window, landing in the garden like a fallen star. A girl, perhaps sixteen, lay there, her raven-black hair cascading around her like a mourning cloak. The air was heavy with her unmoving form, a poignant tableau of familial strife.
Lorelei, the observer of this facade, rushed towards the fallen girl. Alec, still nestled within the sachet, observed the unfolding scene with a feline sense of bewilderment. In this garden of emotions, where familial storms clashed and stars fell, Alec couldn't help but wonder, Umm, hey, Lorelei? Are we sure this is the correct destination?
The girl's visage was etched with a profound grief, a haunting poetry in the midst of familial tumult.
“Ouchie... Ouch… It seems that nefarious wench has made a mess of things once more… She's truly outdone herself this time… I've been fatally wounded…” The girl's voice, dripping with theatricality, resonated through the garden.
Her attempt to rise met with failure, her hands betraying her efforts. Pure agony twisted her features as she struggled to regain her balance.
“I think… I heard some footsteps… This is…,” the girl abruptly succumbed to a dramatic fit of coughing before continuing, “… the end for me… I need you… whoever you are… to do me a favor…”
“There’s a shop… three lanes to the west called The Rodea’s Mana Reagents, utterly kickass place, by the way. The Neerow serpent extracts they peddle are simply divine… If only I could have one sip… I need to taste that extract one last time before I… bid farewell to this world… Please…”
“Oh, I happened to visit that place earlier. I believe this is what you’re looking for?” responded Lorelei, her voice seemingly altered to a higher pitch.
Alec, still a silent observer from the snug confines of the sachet, couldn't help but inject a mental quip, Wait, what? Are we genuinely fulfilling a dying girl’s final wish by providing her with some snake concoction? Shouldn’t we be rushing her to the hospital or something? And why the change in voice, Lorelei?
Alec's insatiable curiosity compelled him to widen the opening of the sachet, revealing a scene that surprised him. His feline gaze shifted to Lorelei, only to find that she was no longer the familiar figure he knew. Confusion danced in his eyes.
"What the heck?"
Alec’s nose recognized her as Lorelei, unmistakably so, but the transformation was stark. The tattered armour and wounds had vanished, replaced by a sleek black dress that accentuated a new, sharper visage crowned with fiery red hair.
Some kind of illusion magic? Do they know each other?
Intrigued, Alec redirected his focus to the fallen girl.
“Y-you have a Neerow extract for me?”
"Of course, I do, hun. Here..." Lorelei's warm tone accompanied the offering of a vial filled with shimmering purple liquid. "Take it."
A sudden sweet and sour aroma invaded Alec's sensitive nose.
"Th-that smell, that’s exactly it. So delectable, so tasty, so exquisite. The taste that’s unimaginably delicious!"
The girl, seemingly revived, stood up as if untouched by the recent ordeal. Her blue eyes fixated on the vial; hunger evident.
"Hand it over, now!"
Without waiting for Lorelei's response, the girl snatched the vial with a lightning-fast swipe of her hand. Lorelei offered no resistance, yielding to the unexpected turn of events.
The girl eagerly uncorked the vial, drinking its contents in a single voracious gulp.
“Ahh, so tasty! Thank-”
“….”
A sudden pause, eyes widening in horror, as her face transformed into a fiery canvas of red. Running frantically, she fanned her mouth, flames of regret escaping her lips.
If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
And no, I’m not kidding; literal flames danced in the air, gushing out of her mouth. What the heck, Lorelei?
Lorelei stood there, an almost smug smile playing on her lips, as the illusion dissipated. The wounded warrior returned, leaving Alec to ponder the perplexities of the illusory display. The girl, now calmer, glanced up at Lorelei, realization dawning.
“……………………”
COUGH!
“The extract you gave me, it was filled with rose rehe… rehahaha… rehahahahahaper!!!! Hahahahaha!! I can’t believe I fell for that! Again! Lore, you sly bitch.” Laughter erupted, a mad symphony echoing through the garden. She had fallen from the first floor earlier, prompting Alec's concern for a possible head injury. Yet, Lorelei's calm demeanour and the familiarity between the two suggested an unspoken understanding. Trusting in Lorelei's judgment, Alec set aside his worries.
“Hahahaha, you truly outdid yourself this time, adding rose reaper flair to Neerow’s extract! A drink I couldn’t refuse, I admit. I’m the court jester to your potion sorcery, hahahaha! But mark my words, Lore, my revenge brews in the cauldron of retribution. It won’t be long until the tables turn,” Victoria chuckled, her laughter a melody in the air, a symphony of jest and self-awareness.
“Just ensure the poison pinch takes a siesta; my resistance skill levelled up last time,” Lorelei retorted, a sly grin accompanying her words.
“And what tempest befell you, leaving you looking like you crawled out of a crypt? Why haven’t the city’s watch mistaken you for the undead, wandering incognito?” Victoria quizzed; her concern cloaked in playful banter.
“I—,” Lorelei hesitated, a fleeting veil of sorrow giving her pause, “I need to have a chat with Aunt Rubel.”
“Are you really giving your best sister the cold shoulder after a week-long adventure? Not cool, Lore, not cool! Whatever, Mum’s upstairs, tidying up after my alchemical extravaganzas, that incorrigible wench!”
“Watch your language, Victoria!” Lorelei scolded.
“To hell with language, and you know it’s Tori, Lore. Drop the 'Victoria' charade; it’s too posh. I detest it; I won’t respond to it. Tori exudes strength and has a cooler vibe. So, please, do me the favour.
“For now, I’ll fetch a healer from the central square because your current look is harder to endure than my experiments. Consider it a benevolent sisterly act.”
And with that, Tori trotted off to the street, humming a merry tune. Alec couldn’t help but think, her presence was indeed intense. Were first-floor window tosses and pranks with mouth-flaming elixirs normal sibling escapades in this world? Tori, he speculated, must possess a resilience matching her eccentricity, weathering the storm of such antics unscathed.
Lorelei moved towards the wooden door. Her knocks echoed in the stillness, and from within, a voice, stern yet familiar, rebuffed the unseen visitor.
“No, Victoria, I’m not letting you inside till my headache wears off! Go away!”
“Hey, Aunt Rubel, it’s me, Lorelei,” Lorelei responded.
A swift dance of footsteps and an odd, serpentine slithering noise heralded the door's slow unveiling. Alec's emerald eyes widened as he met the gaze of a pair of slitted red eyes. The wooden door, revealing a spectacle beyond imagination (which was getting more and more common around here), swung open further. Before him stood a giant python, its fangs formidable, eyes ablaze with a bloodthirsty gleam. Golden symbols adorned its sinuous body, casting an eerie glow as it slithered with glee, seemingly delighted at Lorelei's presence. Lowering its colossal mug, it nuzzled with Lorelei, a symphony of unknown syllables in serpent tongue spilling forth.
“Good to see you too, Rain,” Lorelei responded, cradling the python’s giant mug with affection. “Hopefully, Tori is not giving you too much trouble.”
The giant python replied with a series of dramatic hisses, as if lodging a complaint. Lorelei chuckled as she soothed the formidable serpent. It seemed like a monstrous imitation of a house dog, and Alec suddenly felt a bit uncomfortable in his cozy sachet.
Soon enough, footsteps resumed, and the presumed Lorelei's aunt made her appearance. A woman in her thirties, with a plump and red face that defied the stereotypical motherly vibes—quite contrary to someone who just tossed her own daughter out of a window. Raven-black hair framed her face, mirroring the distinct look shared by Lorelei and Victoria. Her eyes fixated on Lorelei's tattered armour and wounds. She rushed forward but refrained from engulfing Lorelei in a hug, wary of disrupting the injuries.
“By the tongue of Aeloreth, what happened to you, love?” Her eyes betrayed a hint of moisture, and behind her, the giant serpent mirrored her expression of concern. “That can wait, quickly, come inside; let me tend to your wounds.”
Rubel silently guided Lorelei into the house, unveiling an expansive entrance hall bathed in the warm glow of peculiar lamps mounted on intricately carved sconces. Stepping inside, they were embraced by the comforting scent of burning wood from the grand hearth that dominated the center of the hall. The flames crackled, casting playful shadows upon the wooden beams overhead.
“Rain, hun, bring me the box of herbs Victoria pilfered from my workshop earlier. She must have hidden it somewhere; sniff it out, love.”
The giant serpent, disturbingly humane in its demeanour, cast a worried glance at Lorelei before nodding its terrifying mug and slithering down the hallway toward the stairs. Alec couldn't discern its level, but an unspoken understanding told him that this creature was nothing short of terrifying. The same could be said about the women before him.
It seemed to be the season of winter, at least judging by the attire of Rubel and Victoria. Alec felt a slight chill when he opened the mouth of the sachet a bit more, confirming the winter ambiance. Rubel was adorned in an elegant lavender gown crafted from heavy, insulating fabrics, likely velvet or brocade. An intricately embroidered fur stole covered her neck, providing an extra layer of warmth. At least the inside of the house offered respite from the cold.
“A week ago, you just vanished without a trace. Do you know how worried that made me? The Guild told me you were on some escort mission, but I knew something was off with the way they were being so dodgy about the details of the job. And now, you’re all tattered and wounded, and you come to me instead of visiting a healer first? Now, out with it, what’s bothering you?”
"We'll unpack that, but first, I need a favour."
Rubel raised an eyebrow, "Shoot, darling."
“I need a custom-made deception collar. One of Uncle’s unique kinds.”
The request seemed to catch Rubel off guard, as she momentarily paused before continuing.
“Got yourself a familiar or something, hun? Never took you to walk the path of taming, even though it’s been generations of our family refining the art of taming.”
“No, I haven’t picked any option for my third class. I have some direction, and I've been racking up achievements with that in mind. Taming is not really on the list.”
“Something that involves disguises for non-existent familiars? You're not making any sense, dearie. And those devices only work if the appearance of the familiar is already deceiving enough.”
"I’m aware, and perhaps you’ll understand once you see it."
Alec grasped that it might be his cue to finally reveal himself. The discussion about the deception collar undeniably revolved around him, even if the intricacies of the 'unique kind' remained a mystery. Alec recalled Lorelei enlightening him on the concept of concealing levels, classes, and, in the case of monsters, their species. Deception accessories were the key to such concealment, and they were not uncommon in the city of Dunhaven. So, he was prepared when he saw Lorelei's hand finally reaching through the small opening.
Lo and behold, she scooped out the small kitten from the petite sachet. Alec still couldn't believe how diminutive he appeared. Earlier, his vision was constrained by the sachet, offering only glimpses of shapes and sizes. Now, however, he could discern every minute detail of the expansive hall around him, or at least what seemed expansive from his small feline perspective. They were seated on cushioned chairs around a polished wooden table. A lively fire burned in the hearth beside them, and by their chair was seated Rubel.
"Aunt Rubel, meet Alec," Lorelei announced as she cradled the little furball in her palms.
Rubel froze for a moment, her gaze intense as she stared at the small kitten. Alec, now able to see her, noticed something peculiar with her hands—her fingers moved with rapid precision, weaving golden threads constantly generated from the tips of her fingers. In front of her, a golden circle adorned with intricate rotating patterns hovered over Lorelei's different wounds. Suddenly, her fingers stopped, and the circle ceased its rotation.
"By the Eleven, Lorelei, what have you brought me? A Daemon Juvenilis?" Rubel exclaimed.
Lorelei's eyes lit up with curiosity as she asked, "You know something about it?"
"Not much, honey, just that the word 'Daemon' reminded me of an entity we faced during our journey for third-class advancement. It was a 'Lupus Daemonius,' if I remember correctly," Rubel continued, focusing on the golden threads again, presumably resuming whatever spell she was casting. "It was a strange encounter. Your father wanted to capture it for taming, but that's the first rule among tamers—never try to tame something you've never heard of. There's a reason why they've managed to evade registration in the annals of human knowledge for so long. Thus, the rest of the party members, including your mother, uncle, and me, refused to support him. Your father, stubborn as he was, was determined to tame a new species and make a name for himself. But he eventually conceded. What followed was a game of deception, where he lied and sneaked away at night to the location where we last spotted that Daemon. Fast forward two days later, and we found him, sans clothes, dangling upside down and magically bound to a Flesh tree," she chuckled, struggling to hold back her laughter.
"A Flesh tree? That sounds positively revolting."
Rubel's laughter, however, indicated otherwise. "Oh, it is. We spent an entire day attempting to reverse engineer the binding spell that ensnared him. Almost lost his left bollock in the process," she shared, cackling with the unfiltered glee of someone recalling a particularly entertaining tale.
Lorelei winced. "I could have lived without that piece of information."
"But right now," Rubel's playful demeanor vanished, replaced by a thunderous expression. Her motherly face turned accusatory, a look that could throw her own daughter from a first-floor window. She pointed an accusing finger at the small kitten, Alec and Lorelei both shivered.
"What the heavens were you thinking, bringing this one-day-old babe into my house? He doesn't need a goddamn deception collar; he needs his mother!"
Ahh, that might be a bit too complicated.
Meanwhile, Rain, the colossal python, slithered in, clasping a petite silver box in its jaws. Even the serpent seemed taken aback by Rubel's tone. Lorelei sensed the tension, poised to retort, only to be abruptly silenced by Rubel. She deftly retrieved the silver box from the python's awaiting maw, retrieving a mortar and pestle from it.
"Before you utter another word," Rubel declared, a storm brewing in her eyes, "there had better be a compelling rationale behind all of this. I'm giving you a moment to reconsider your words, for I'm not accepting any half-hearted justification for any of this."
Meanwhile, she deftly extracted various herbs from the metallic container, skilfully grinding them in the mortar with the finesse of a seasoned witch and the force of a seasoned barbarian.
Lorelei, Alec, and even Rain visibly swallowed hard.