Chapter 130 - Two Blades and a Tail XI
Without speaking a word, Claire dragged Sylvia down two flights of stairs and into the cathedral. She peeled her hood back, raised her ears overhead, and strained them before finally turning her eyes on the fox-tailed elf.
“Uhmm… Claire?” Sylvia scratched one of her ears as she shifted her eyes between the lyrkress and the freshly hidden staircase. “Can you explain what’s going on? You’re acting a little weird.”
The lyrkress remained silent. Still in her humanoid form, she scanned their surroundings one more time, retracted the spike in her chest, and wrapped her arms around the other girl’s back. It was a tight embrace, only emphasized by the way she buried her face in the vixen’s collar.
“Sorry,” she whispered.
“H-huh?” The half-elf blinked. Thrice.
“Sorry I was being so stubborn. I didn’t mean for you to get fed up with me.” Her voice trembled as she tightened her grip.
It was all her fault. She was supposed to be adept at reading others. Her father had taught her, over and over and over, to read the slightest change in expression and correctly interpret the sentiments buried therein. But she had failed. The entire conflict could have been avoided, had she paid any more attention, had she not been so arrogant to think her first impression correct.
Sylvia remained silent, but not because she was engaged in the sort of internal, emotional feud that plagued the other halfbreed. She had no idea what was happening, but awkwardly returned the hug nonetheless.
“I uhmmm… I’m not fed up with you. Or at least I don’t think I am.”
“But you were. You didn’t talk to me for a day.”
“Oh, that’s what you mean!” The taller girl giggled and patted the sniffling lyrkress on the head. “So umm… I know you’re really really worked up, but… I wasn’t really that mad at you. I think I stopped being mad by the time you killed the lord the first time.”
Claire froze. Her entire body suddenly stiffened as her almost teary eyes began to twitch. It had dawned on her, before Sylvia had finished speaking, that her greatest mistake was not misunderstanding the fox’s intentions, but doubting her own judgement and allowing her emotions to spiral out of control.
“Then why didn’t you say anything?” The lyrkress’ voice fell flat, not the usual kind of flat, but one that was clearly entirely deprived of amusement.
“Ummm… that’s because Dad started talking right into my head and asked me to help him with something. I didn’t want to start talking because I thought I was gonna accidentally talk about it, and then Al would catch on, so I just didn’t say anything.”
Again, the lyrkress twitched. “Then why didn’t you make me a pillow when I went to sleep?” Her voice was lower, and her fingers were trembling. “My hips were screaming when I woke up.” Slowly, she pushed Sylvia away and shot her an indignant glare.
“Oh… right…” The elf turned back into a fox and averted her gaze. “I forgot.”
The statement was followed by a loud bang.
“C-Claire!?”
“Shut up. Leave me alone.”
Her face red and her ears twitching, Claire rammed her forehead into the nearest wall and left a number of cracks along the wall. The goblin king would eventually discover them and grumble, but that wasn’t any of her business.
It took her a few minutes to calm down, finally wipe the blood off her brow, and exit the cathedral with her fuzzy four-legged companion held captive in her arms. For once, the lyrkress wasn’t thinking of her next kill. She was already satisfied with the amount of experience she had gained throughout the day, and it was almost time for her to retire for the evening. She was tired; the full day she had spent thinking and fighting had taken its toll.
Sylvia was also on the more lethargic side. She was a lot less talkative than usual, and her responses were shorter and more to the point. Her tail only ever swished slowly, and every once in a while, she would yawn or rub her eyes with her paws.
“Why are there so many golems?” Claire broke the silence as she gazed upon the countless, glowing red eyes strewn throughout the environment.
“I think they’re supposed to be part of some sort of defensive network that Dad’s artificer friend set up,” answered the pet. “Everyone’s been saying they’re really good at what they do, but I just think they’re kinda weird.”
The bluescale nodded, but said nothing. The lack of a verbal response led to another extended, awkward silence. The third that they had shared already.
“Hey, Claire?” The next time it was broken, it was by Sylvia, right as they turned onto the street that housed Frederick’s forge.
“What?”
“I’m sorry I left without saying anything.” Her ears drooped as she spoke. “I didn’t realise that you were going to panic like that.”
“I wasn’t panicking.”
“Yes you were! You totally were!” She pulled a rune-covered rock out of her tail and presented it. “I just checked the records!”
“Shush.” Claire tightened her grip on the pet as she shifted her eyes away. “I was trying to tell you that I didn’t feel like talking about it. Without saying it.”
“I know!”
“Then wh—”
“But I do.” The furball craned her neck backwards and looked her owner in the eyes.
Frowning, Claire came to a stop in front of a nearby post and placed the fox on top of it. “Sylvia, I…” She took a deep breath and turned back into a humanoid, so that they were eye-level. “Fine,” she muttered. “Maybe I did panic. Just a little.” The blueblood crossed her arms. “But so what? It doesn’t matter.”
She knew she had issues. Following the death of her mother, her father transformed from strict and unsupportive to a veritable tyrant, a zealous monster that looked only at results and sought war at every turn. He stopped acknowledging her talents, and disparaged her for every tiny imperfection. In the end, he even tried to kill her. The experience had changed her. But that didn’t mean she had any intention of facing her fears head on.
She didn’t want to admit that she was afraid of being left alone again. At least not unless it was on her own terms.
“It does matter!” Sylvia returned to her full-sized elven form. And after donning the tunic hidden in her tail, gave the lyrkress another hug. Unlike the last time, Claire hadn’t retracted her spike. The icy blade dug into the oversized fairy’s ribs, but she pulled her closer nonetheless. “I’m really sorry. I’ll say something next time.”
“No you won’t.” Claire tried to push her away, but the half-elf’s grip was solid.
“Yes, I will Claire! Trust me!”
“I did.” Claire took a breath. “That’s why this happened.” She grit her teeth. “I shouldn’t have.”
“Geez… you’re so stubborn,” complained the fox, with a small smile. She nuzzled her cheek against the lykress’ forehead as her tail happily wagged from side to side. “Just so you know, I’m a lot better at reading between the lines than you’ve been giving me credit for.”
“I know.”
“Yeah, right,” huffed Sylvia.
“I do,” insisted Claire. “I just… got too caught up in my own thoughts.” She retracted the icy protrusion that had torn open her pet’s dress and returned the hug. “Thanks.”
“No problem!” chirped the vixen. “I’m glad you’re feeling better now.” She tried to let go and step back, but the arms around her waist kept her where she was. “Uhm… Claire?” When she looked down, she found that the half-snake had buried her face in her chest.
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“You remind me of my mother.”
“H-huh?” Sylvia blinked. “I do?”
“She was just as stupid.”
“Oh…” It took a moment for the not-compliment to sink in. And only then did the look on her face go from one of confusion to one of indignance. “Hey, wait! What’s that supposed to mean!?”
A small smile appeared on the lyrkress’ face. “Sometimes, she ran into walls because she wasn’t looking where she was going.”
“Oh, come on! I’m not that stupid!”
“Shut up.” Claire extended her shard, just a tiny bit, and lightly prodded her captive with its tip. “My mother wasn’t stupid.”
Log Entry 3933
True Ice Manipulation has reached level 25.
“You just said she was!”
“Only I’m allowed to call her stupid.”
“That’s so unf—” Sylvia was cut off with a squeeze. “Hey! Stop that! What was that even for!?”
“I just felt like it.” Claire paused for another few moments before finally letting go and pushing the fox away. “You can go back now. I can manage on my own.”
Sylvia placed a finger on her chin and frowned. “I think I’ll stay.” Her body glowed with a bright light as it shrank, down to its usual, more fairy-like size. “Dad already said that they were gonna finish the rest without me, which means I’d probably just get in the way. And plus, following you around is way more fun.”
Smiling softly, Claire spun around and continued towards the forge. “Then let’s go.” Following the tiny pixie’s cue, she went through a transformation of her own. Her form was made to look perfectly lamian, with her ears the only exception. The fluffy hearing aids were pulled into the hood of her cloak and obscured, as to minimize the attention they would attract.
Though it was late, the many craftsmen that worked at the smithy were still slaving away. Their hammers pounded against their anvils nonstop, and the blades they forged sizzled like molten rock as they were quenched. If the complaints they touted were any indication, they were working overtime against their will. Some were ranting about deadlines and the associated lack of artistry, while others shouted about missing materials and demanding superiors.
Claire pinpointed the most familiar voices and made her way over to their station with Sylvia in tow. Though she caught Myrtle off guard, and nearly made the plant hammer one of her own tendrils, the retrieval went about as smoothly as she could have reasonably expected. She was back to walking around town just a few minutes after she first snuck into the forge.
Looking the weapon up and down revealed no obvious differences, but she did have to admit that it was easier to swing. It seemed to be able to go exactly where she wanted, despite looking more or less identical.
“I just remembered something.” She sheathed the blade in a leather cap and strapped it to her back as she spoke. “Something important.”
“You did?” asked Sylvia, from atop her shoulder. “Well… I’m listening. What is it?”
“Alfred already knows.”
The fairy’s eyes opened wide. “H-he does? How did he find out? Wait… but then… how much does he know?”
Claire shrugged. “He gave me a quest. To capture you, and kill them.”
“Oh crap. He probably knows everything.” Sylvia placed both paws on her snout, before peaking out from behind her paws. “Wait… you’re not going to try to do it, are you?”
“Maybe,” said Claire.
“I’m not going to let you kill Dad!”
“I only need two of them, and I don’t particularly dislike your father.”
Though she certainly did harbour some degree of resentment, the elf had been one of the more amicable folks, often offering his help both when she did and didn’t need it. He was pushy, but not unpleasant, and most important of all, she knew how difficult it would be to take him down. If she was to kill two of them, one would have to be Archibald, and the other was a toss-up between the cat and the goblin, depending on which she could catch off guard.
“Whew.” Sylvia pressed a hand on her chest. “Wait! That’s not any better! Don’t kill any of them! We need all four of them for the plan to work!”
“What is the plan?”
“I’m not gonna explain it unless you promise you’re not gonna help Alfred.” Sylvia puffed up her cheeks and crossed her arms.
“I won’t.” Claire frowned. “I can’t. I’m not strong enough to kill your father’s friends.”
“Really?” The fairy zipped in front of the lyrkress’ face and cast a suspicious glare.
“Really.”
“Then a stampede it is.” No sooner had she made the declaration than a third voice entered the conversation. Its owner almost seemed to phase into existence, appearing where there was previously nothing but shadow. Though he seemed average from afar, the proximity revealed that Alfred was a giant of a man. Despite his thin and lanky frame, he stood at a height that towered over even her lyrkrian form.
“A-Al!?” squeaked Sylvia. “H-how long have you been there!?”
“This whole time, my dear child,” he said with a frown. “I’m very disappointed in you, Sylvia.”
“I know, Al… I know. But I… just really want to leave.”
The human shook his head. “Well, there’s that, but that isn’t what I was referring to.”
“Huh?” the fairy tilted her head.
“I was watching the whole time. I can’t believe you left it at comforting her. You had two perfectly good chances to turn that into a sexual enc—”
A blade cut him off before he could finish the sentence. A spear was stabbed straight through the bridge of his nose, its tip coated with a thick layer of poison, but it failed to kill or even harm him. Ignoring the lack of damage, his assailant continued to attack. Claire tried every weapon at her disposal, her blades, her ice magic, and her force magic, but none of it worked. All of her strikes phased right through his body. Even though the forces made it clear that he wasn’t just a projection.
His frame distorted each time she struck it, but she felt no feedback. Her attacks were being redirected elsewhere; it was like the man himself was a dimensional rift, a portal to some other space.
“Oh, how nice it is to be young.”
With a chuckle, he snapped his fingers and summoned his wand. A thousand different vectors fired from its tip and pushed her into the ground. They were surprisingly gentle; they held her down but refrained from rubbing her face against the stone. And yet, she was unable to resist. There were too many different forces, and each that she rejected would immediately be replaced by another.
Log Entry 3934
Force Resistance has reached level 7.
“Now, where were we?” He turned back to Sylvia and brought a hand to his beard. “Ah, yes. That’s right. I’m disappointed and very hurt, but I’m not entirely unreasonable. I’ll give you a chance to make it up to me.”
Sylvia gulped. “W-what’s that supposed to mean?”
“If you help her,” he pointed at Claire, “finish her quest, then I’ll warp you out of Llystletein and send you out on a little adventure. What do you think? It’s a rather good deal, if I do say so myself.”
“That’s asking way too much! I’m not gonna kill my dad, and I’m not gonna let anyone else do it either!”
Alfred smiled. “Well, whatever the case, you have a few more days to decide.” He tapped his staff against the ground three times. With each moment of contact came a powerful ripple, an intense blast of magical energy that threatened to rob Claire of her consciousness. She had to grit her teeth to hold on, and even then, she was nearly pushed beyond the brink. “The horde will be arriving first thing tomorrow morning.” Tipping his oversized, pointed hat, the celestial began to fade away. The forces that kept Claire pinned weakened just enough for her to look up at his face.
“Good luck, both of you.”
A glance was enough to tell her everything she needed to know.
The looming fear of death was one that inspired panic and terror; the undesired circumstances would have left anyone else annoyed, anxious, or frustrated. The old demigod, however, was none of those things.
“I look forward to seeing how long you’ll last.”
He was simply entertained.
___
Claire
Health: 12270/12270
Mana: 14540/14540
Divinity: 5/5
Health Regen: 4702/hour (9405/hour)
Mana Regen: 11448/hour
Divinity Regen: 5/hour
Ability Scores - 1278 Points Available
- Agility: 1030
- Dexterity: 830
- Spirit: 650
- Strength: 1178
- Vitality: 1045
- Wisdom: 1272
Racial Class: Frostblight Lyrkress - Level 124.14
- Frostblight Lyrkrian Martial Arts - Level 27.15
- Frostblight Lyrkrian Shapeshifting - Level 23.31
- Paralyzing Gaze - Level 17.04
- Thermodynamic Regulation - Level 12.87
- True Ice Manipulation - Level 25.00
Primary Class: Llystletein Bloodthief - Level 116.50
- Assassinate - Level 22.06
- Bloodthief - Level 29.24
- Charm Catgirl - Level 1.00
- Cloak and Dagger - Level 11.30
- Envenom - Level 28.48
- Manathief - Level 25.67
- Phantom Blade - Level 26.34
- Severantus’ Call
Secondary Class: Llystletein Vector Mage - Level 114.92
- Force Resistance - Level 7.84
- Catgirl Detector V. 0.47 - Level 16.35
- Detect Force Magic - Level 22.32
- Spirit Sorcery - Level 38.11
- Vector Manipulation - Level 41.07
Unclassed Skills
- Artifact Manipulation - Level 4.00
- Axe Mastery - Level 15.04
- Club Mastery - Level 17.50
- Cooking - Level 1.04
- Dagger Mastery - Level 16.47
- Dancing - Level 8.92
- Digging - Level 15.70
- English - Level 25
- Greatsword Mastery - Level 11.42
- Llystletein Authority - Level 10.74
- Makeshift Weapon Mastery - Level 30.67
- Marish - Level 19.10
- Sewing - Level 1.43
- Sneaking - Level 20.67
- Spear Mastery - Level 14.26
- Sword Mastery - Level 10.76
- Throwing - Level 12.94
- Whip Mastery - Level 6.86