"Oh~ my~ gods, how is this girl so heavy? She must weight more than a miniature earth titan."
Two women, who looked to be in their mid-twenties, hauled a small, black-robed figure down a red-carpeted corridor. Their occasional grunt or strain-filled groan lost against the pleasure-filled equivalents seeping from the wooden doors on each side as they passed. The hallway was illuminated by soft, yellow glow stones on each side of the hall, casting long, twisting shadows of the trio as they passed.
As they moved, the arms and legs of the figure wedged between them hung listlessly, their head lolled forwards and rolling from side to side in time with the pair's awkward shuffle.
"Shh, what if she hears you?" The older of the two women, blonde-haired and wearing a skimpy, leather outfit that revealed most of her thighs and stomach, puffed her cheeks with exertion as she glanced over to her counterpart.
On the opposite side, a red-haired woman, wearing a low cut dress, chuckled as she shook her head slightly. Her cheeks flushed, and her breathing somewhat strained. "Leave off. She drank enough to floor a pride of maulers and then some. I doubt little miss silent and strange will be doing anything until the sun goes down tonight. Even then it will only be crawling out to repeat the same crap. Let's get her into bed and get Abnor. He can deal with the rest. She's his master after-."
The figure twitched, slipping out of the redhead's grasp and causing her to loudly swear as she pulled her foot back while grabbing the figure's arm as an afterthought.
"What the hell, Rachel? Are you tired of living? Dropping a Sect Executioner?" The blonde hissed, the sweat on her skin glistening in the light as she stumbled forward.
Rachel's shoulder-length, red hair swayed as she tried to stand on one leg, rotating her other foot. "Damn, that's going to bruise."
"Better than losing your head." The blonde took a deep breath. "Come on. Let's get this over with. It's not like there are many clients left downstairs, and if we're lucky, we can get a few more hours of sleep before chores."
Rachel nodded, still favouring her injured foot, as the pair shuffled their grip before continuing in silence, quickly reaching a large, wooden door at the end of the corridor.
"Not even one of us and she gets the best room in the house," Rachel muttered under her breath as she let the blonde take more of the figure's weight, resting her against the wall nearby while keeping a hand on her shoulder. After making sure everything was OK, she tried to open the door with her free hand.
After a brief struggle, the figure slipping several times whenever it looked like Rachel was about to succeed, the door finally swung inwards and hit the wall with a loud bang.
The blonde glared at Rachel as she shrugged, stuck out her tongue, and heaved the figure's arm over her shoulder. With a loud grunt, they stood and started walking through the door.
"Watch the tail, if it's sticking out. Abnor mentioned that it was pretty sensitive and something of a sore spot," said the blonde as she tried to glance behind her, turning the par slightly sideways.
"Like I'm that stupid." Rachel also looked behind, using the foot she had been limping on to catch the door as it swung back and hold it until they passed. After letting it close, they stopped for a moment as their eyes adjusted to the dim light.
An orangy-yellow lamp covered by a thin layer of black fabric stood on a dresser near an open, double doorway leading to a small balcony. Piles of dark clothes, mostly black, littered the floor, bed and sides of the bathtub in the far corner while copious amounts of empty bottles helped cast shadows onto the few abstract paintings on the cream coloured walls. A small shower-like alcove stood near the door they had entered.
Rachel sniggered. "Bit of a mucky pup, isn't she? It's almost as bad as my room."
"Not something to be proud of." The blonde shook her head as her eyes rolled upwards for a moment. "Come on. My shoulder's going to fall off."
The pair moved towards the queen-sized bed, the figure dangling between them, before pausing at the right-hand side.
"Should we undress her?"
"Hell no," Rachel lifted the arm resting on her shoulder as she held the figure's waist. After letting her friend take most of the weight so she could get into position, she gently bent over and the pair collapsed onto the soft bed. "Remember what happened to the customer who mistook her for one of us?"
"Gods she reeks of dwarven moonshine. Can't stand the stuff." Rachel immediately extracted her hand from behind the figure's back before standing up. She looked down, moving to pull down the sleeve that had ridden up and revealed a thin arm and small, almost child-like hand.
The hood had also fallen back, revealing the sharp, yet alluring features of a young woman with jet black hair, Nyx.
The pair's attention drifted towards the slightly pointed tip of the ear, Nyx's head resting to one side, that emerged from her messy hair.
"She kind of looks like a high elf like this?" Rachel muttered as she moved her hand forward.
"Don't Rache, she might be passed out drunk, but she's still a Sect Executioner."
"And now she is a soft-eared elf." Rachel ignored her companion's protests as she grabbed the tip of Nyx's ear, pulling it out until it was almost horizontal from her head. The base was much thicker than a human's, reducing in width until it came to a small, pointed tip around seven or eight inches from Nyx's head.
"Rachel!"
"High-elf, soft-eared elf~ High-elf, soft-eared elf~, High-el-"
Rachel stopped as her friend grabbed her hand. "I swear to the gods, one of these days you're going to offend someone you shouldn't. Don't play with people's ears when they are asleep."
"It's fine~. The girl's out cold, and I've wanted to touch her ears since I saw her this morning with her hood down." Rachel shook her friend's hand away but didn't go back to playing with Nyx's ears. Instead, she straightened up.
"And it's not like it would hurt, the ears naturally move where I was pulling them as she listens to stuff. When she was talking to Abnor, they were down so the openings could point forward. But when he left, they became erect and pointed up and back from her head like it is now. Think it's so she can focus on one area or listen all around. You know, like average three hundred and sixty degree hearing or holding your ear to a glass on the wall. Kind like animals or beasts with long ears?"
The blond rubbed her eyes with one hand. "What? That's not the point Rachel. What you just did, excluding being idiotic, was rude. If she finds out."
"It's fine~. She's sleeping like a baby." Rachel waved away her friend's concerns as she took another look at Nyx's face. "So pretty. I wonder why she is so distant to everyone but Abnor? Even then, he doesn't get the best treatment."
She rested her weight on the foot that hadn't been injured earlier and sighed. "A girl this young, able to become a sect executioner and hiding out in a brothel while drinking like a fish. I'd bet she's been through some serious crap. Shit that could make our lives look nice in comparison."
"Yeah…" The blonde leaned down and sorted Nyx's hair, tucking it behind the ear in a way that made it look more comfortable. "I think it's to do with men."
"Nah. I mean I get that vibe too. She seems to be only interested in women and is pretty hostile to any male bar Abnor, but most of us have been in that place. It doesn't change your aura that much. And if she were, she wouldn't get drunk, especially here."
The blonde shook her head. "You're not going to start with that whole aura mumbo jumbo again are you?"
The blond shrugged. "It's real Becky, the mind, body and soul come together to form an aura. Just because you can't feel it doesn't mean it's not there."
Becky turned to the side, pushing a few empty or half-filled bottles out the way before pouring a glass of water from a nearby jug and placing it near the bed. "OK, so what's your sixth sense telling you?"
"She's a killer."
"No, shit." Snorting, Becky shook her head. "She's an executioner."
"No… not like that. More like…" Rachel paused as she fiddled with a loose strand of hair as she stared at Nyx's face. "Like the beasts that come in here some times. They take a human form, but they can't get rid of their auras… The vibe that follows them is like... like they are apex predators. Kings of their domain and it's not just in their thinking and behaviour but in their blood and bones."
"You mean something like a natural predator?"
"Yes." Rachel tilted her head as she watched Nyx breathing. "Something like that. Didn't you see that every move she made, even when she stumbled to the toilet drunk, caused Sam and the guards to react as if she was about to attack? That sort of thing isn't just status or power. That's their instincts telling them they are in the presence of someone who is extremely dangerous."
"I just don't see it." Becky looked at Nyx's sleeping form. "Then again, I kinda get what you mean. She looks so small and innocent, like something you want to protect, but I can't help but feel anxious every time I'm near her."
"See, I told you, you would feel it sooner rather than later." Rachel smiled, looking into Becky's eyes.
Becky sighed and looked away. "More like you have been going on about it so long I've become crazy. Anyway, let's get going. Roll her onto her side, so she doesn't choke. Mari said that she has to scrub the vomit out the sheets every morning."
Rachel grimaced. "Damn, not like its bad enough with all the crap that goes on here. Then again, vomit is hardly the worst thing to clean up."
"Tell that to Mari."
"Well, it's not that~ bad. I heard a beastman shit himself last week. Think he travelled from the eastern sea. Apparently, that stuff just doesn't wash out." Rachel laughed as she shook her head. "And we should cut her some slack. We were all pretty wild in our youth."
"Why do you keep saying she's young?" Becky rolled Nyx over, only briefly fighting with a long, thin black tail that flopped out of the robe that had slightly ridden up Nyx's white legs as she moved her. Tiny, dark-grey, scale-like patterns could be seen running down the tail, getting smaller as they went, before ending at the tip which was covered in a little, flame-like mist. "Sam said that he was almost sure that she was a lot older than him and he's a hundred and sixty-one next week.
"Really?" Rachel blinked a couple of times, her mouth falling into a small 'o' like shape. "When did he say this?"
"Yeah, he said he could tell due to his ability to guess the age and strength of a soul. You know, necro stuff. And it was in the morning meeting yesterday. You know, the one you always skip to go off playing with your boyfriend."
"Hey, low blow. Plus we aren't dating." Rachel's smile cracked a little as she looked towards the open double doors. "Who would want to date someone like me?"
"Oh, stop it. He keeps coming back and takes you out to nice places. No strings attached. I'd say you're close to getting out of this dump." Becky smiled warmly, walking closer to Rachel and placing a hand on her shoulder. "Come on. We better get going."
The pair turned around, their conversation having drifted onto Rachel's potential boyfriend. After one final check to make sure Nyx was OK and not going to choke herself, they promptly left the room.
As the door closed, one of the darker shadows in the corner shimmered slightly, turning a dark purple colour before Abnor slowly stood up. The clothes that had been covering him fell to the side as he approached the side of the bed.
After hesitating for a few moments, he slowly reached out with his hands, looking like he was going to touch Nyx's ear similarly to how Rachel had been earlier.
"Death wish?" Nyx's voice was cold,
Abnor retracted his hand, his gaze snapping to Nyx's eyes. Light blue lightning flickered across her dark blue irises. After a few moments, her vertical, snake-like pupils were slowly rounding to become something more human.
"How come she gets to touch your ears?" Abnor backed away as Nyx slowly lifted her body, groaning a little as she shook her head. "Is it what they said? Because I am a boy and you like girls?"
Nyx closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath before swinging her legs off the bed. Even though the bed was soft and springy, she was forced to lean to one side as an angry, somewhat exasperated expression flashed across her features.
"Fucking tail." Nyx looked up at Abnor, whose gaze was now travelling between each of her ears. "Bloody ears."
"I like them." Abnor smiled.
"Of course you do," Nyx growled as she emptied the glass of water onto the bed, around the area where her hips would have been if she was still lying down, and grabbed one of the nearby, half-empty bottles. Thick, golden-brown liquid filled the glass before she lifted it to her face and downed it in one go.
After heavily placing the glass down, she used the palms of her hands to rub her temple. "Kinda felt like a nasty hangover, but worse. Much worse. Wonder if that poison still exists or if the recipe died with him?"
Abnor flinched, moving back even further. "Is liking deadly, beautiful creatures like you so bad that you would poison me?"
Nyx looked up, causing him to flinch and back away even further, his left hand resting on the hilt of the dagger tucked into his leather belt. "Why bother? Your fetish will get you killed sooner or later."
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Abnor laughed, his hand moving away from his belt. "Did I ever tell you, when you're angry or deep in thought, you have the most beautiful ey-"
He didn't get to finish his sentence before his head smashed into the nearby wall.
Shaking his head after lifting it from the ground, he looked up to see what remained of a black mist evaporating from where his head had been moments before. "When are you going to teach me how to do that?"
"I'm starting to think that your ancestors were more similar to pain than truth demons." Nyx shakily stood up and held onto the bedpost. After coughing a few times, her chest contracting violently, she vomited across the pillow and bedsheet.
"Much better." Sighing as she straightened up, Nyx wiped her mouth with the back of her hand before moving towards the alcove nearby. In a smooth, effortless motion she took her robe off and flung it on a nearby armchair.
Abnor, who still lay crumpled against the wall, lifted his gaze from the back of Nyx's feet, up her long, thin but muscular legs, and to area where her spine and tail connected.
There was a slight colour distortion, the scale-like patterns spreading onto the white skin of her lower back. The tail, much thicker at the base than the tip, distorted Nyx's cheeks at the top. It also covered Nyx's most delicate areas, slightly swaying as she walked. Unlike the base, the tip seemed much more flexible, swishing from side to side and twisting in circles as if trying to lash out at its surroundings.
Abnor had just swallowed hard when his head smashed into the floor. Small motes of light danced in his vision as he shakily pushed himself back up.
After taking a deep breath, sat up. "Why do you do that if I can't watch?"
Nyx chuckled as she stepped into the alcove and twisted the metal tap in a clockwise motion. As the water fell from small holes in the ceiling, a red, somewhat sordid light illuminated her body and the surrounding space.
"Seriously." Abnor stood up using the wall for support. Yet, he didn't glance in the direction of the shower. "It's not like I haven't seen you naked already? We ran all over the plains while you were in your other form. And that's even more attract… revealing. If you don't want me to look, just tell me to get out of something like the others? No need to smash my head in."
"There are others you letch at?" Nyx voice floated over the sound of the shower. A small cloud of condensation billowing out into the room as she started to wash her body.
"Do you really care, or are you just trying to change the subject again?" Abnor folded his arms as he pouted. "Look, I might be young, but I'm not a kid. I'm strong and can fend for myself. Everyone says how I act much older than I look."
Nyx chuckled, her feminine voice echoing in the small cubical-like space. "So similar."
"What?"
"Nothing~."
"So are you going to tell me why?" Abnor moved to a nearby stool, sitting down and leaning against the wall. His body position was facing the wall on the opposite side of the room. However, his eyes would occasionally flicker in the direction of the shower. "Why you keep doing things like this? Making it seem like its OK then punishing me."
"Hmm, how about a story?" Nyx spoke in song-like tone while smiling broadly.
Abnor remained quiet but didn't look amused.
"Once there was a boy, a little younger than you, that feared the dark. One day he decided that he would not only overcome his fears, but he would also turn it into his strength. So, that night he snuck out of his house to a nearby woods and, after making sure he wasn't really sure where he was, he sat down and waited until dawn."
"What's so impressive about that? Most of my friends are already hunting in low-level areas. It doesn't matter if it's night or-"
"After that, he thrived in the dark. He felt safe in it. However, he had other… issues. One of them was heights. So, just like he had done before, he decided to challenge the fear. It wasn't as bad as the one he had for the dark, but still. After a few months, he had climbed many tall structures, jumped and fallen through the sky with nothing more than a rope around his legs or some thin material strapped to his back. Eventually, the sky and heights became to represent something like freedom. Standing above all and looking down."
Abnor rolled his eyes. "You're not making any sense? What does this have to do with my question?"
Nyx sighed loudly. "Eventually, his weaknesses became his strength, and every challenge or obstacle became a way to improve himself. However, the further he travelled along this road, the less human he became. Eventually, he couldn't even call himself a beast."
Her words died off as her movements slowed as she looked down. Water ran off her head and shoulders, splashing to the ground around her, looking faintly like blood in the red light.
"Are you saying that you are pointing out my weaknesses and that I have to overcome them?"
"Hmm, you could see it that way." Nyx's hand shimmered as it turned black, the mist seeping from her skin and surrounding it seemingly unaffected by the falling water. She slowly pulled her hand across her bare skin. Strangely, even though her skin looked clean, a thick, black, gooey substance was scrapped away. After a couple of sweeps, she flicked her hand and the watery, tar-like substance splattered near the drain.
Poking it with her toes so it would break down faster and flow away, Nyx continued to run her hand across other areas of her body in silence.
Abnor wrinkled his nose as he started breathing through his mouth and turned his head away. "Or~."
"You could think about it yourself."
"Forget it. You're just like that old man that loves to tell riddles and misleading stories." Abnor shook his head as he clasped his nose. "Instead, can tell me how you do that?"
"What's that?"
"Expel toxins without having a breakthrough or cultivating? You drink so much, but you all you need to do is puke once and expel the impurities from your skin in the shower and your back to normal in minutes."
Nyx chuckled. "Finally, a decent question. I was starting to wonder. Anyway, who said I wasn't cultivating. Look at the shadows."
"Huh?"
Nyx took a deep breath and, as if they were a substance similar to smoke, the shadows in the recesses of the room seemed to fluctuate towards her. Thin, vine-like wisps broke away from the darkest locations, especially the open balcony door, and snaked across the room in her direction. In the dim, orange light, it looked like the room had suddenly become filled with small, near-microscopic cracks.
After a few seconds, Nyx exhaled deeply. The cracks seemed to dissolve, vanishing into thin air while the shadows retreated to where they had come from, and the room suddenly seemed brighter.
Nyx's breathing returned to normal, yet Abnor's gaze remained transfixed on a nearby shadow as he watched it shift ever so slightly with each breath she took. Similar to a tiny flame flickering in the wind.
After a few minutes, when Nyx was unable to scrape any more of the black substance from her skin, Abnor closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "You can cultivate outside of meditation?"
Nyx stepped out of the shower, grabbing a nearby towel before starting to dry herself.
Abnor opened his eyes, checking the shadows were still moving. "No… you're always cultivating?"
"Bingo~. I never stop," Nyx responded as a small blast of mist erupted from her body, sending the remaining water droplets flying along with the towel.
"Never?"
"Never." Nyx chuckled. "When I eat, sleep, move, shit. I cultivate. The only time I will ever stop is if I am dead."
"Why, no, how? How can you have that much control? I heard that you need to be at least Diamond rank before you can even think about cultivating outside of meditation. That's the second continent entry-level."
"So many pointless questions." Nyx had picked the towel up and was drying her hair, staring into the round mirror hanging on the wall.
Abnor was about to turn his head in her direction when he was hit. The impact was much lighter this time, just enough to turn his gaze back in the other direction.
Nyx sighed. "Tell you what, I'll answer one question if you promise to start thinking before you open your mouth."
Abnor rubbed his cheek, slightly red from where he had just been hit. "You're such a tease."
Nyx shrugged, though Abnor couldn't see. "I like to keep myself entertained, and you're too weak to do anything. Also, it pains you to lie, so you make a perfect target."
"So if I could fight back, you wouldn't do it?"
"Hmm, maybe. Who knows."
"OK~." Abnor paused, his face momentarily twisting in anger before returning to normal as he took a deep breath. "Tell me how to do it. How to circulate my essence all the time?"
Nyx sighed. "Is that the question you really want to know?"
"Yes."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes. Positive."
"Fine~." Nyx shrugged, her voice sounding far more happy than it should if she had just conceded. "First off, rip your own heart out and replace it with a core. Next, spend ten or so years creating multiple energy spirals in said core. A million should do it if they are the same essence. Then, all you need to do is put them together without overloading the core and obliterating your body. Once that's done, make them rotate in sync, and they will start drawing in essence. Do that, and you will never need to cultivate another day in your life actively. Of course, it will make things faster if you do, and you will still need to pass each tribulation, but that is pretty much the gist of it."
Abnor turned around. This time Nyx didn't react. She was standing near to the dresser in small, reactivity revealing, black boxer shorts. Her arms were behind her back, attempting to secure the latch of a black lace bra.
"You, you ripped your own heart out?"
"Who the fuck invented such a useless contraption." Nyx didn't seem to hear Abnor as she started slowly turning on the spot, her teeth clenched. Before long she started growling and hissing.
After a while, she tried looking in the mirror with her back turned but soon gave up as she started rotating again. After a dozen or so seconds, loud cracking noises resonated in the room as Nyx's arms became somewhat mist-like, extending slightly. Still, even with the extra reach and long, dextrous claw-like fingers, she still couldn't fit the clasp.
A low, guttural growl, the rumble causing Abnor's sternum to vibrate slightly, erupted from Nyx as the room darkened.
"You know, it's not that hard. I can do it if you need help-"
Abnor flinched, falling off the stool as Nyx's head snapped in his direction. Her pupils had returned to their serpentine shape. The lightning-like flickers contained within seemed as if they would escape and obliterate their surroundings at any moment.
Rolling in the direction he fell, Abnor slammed his fist into the floor and was back on his feet in moments, hands out in a passive, non-hostile manner. "Or… I could go find someone to teach you."
Nyx's narrowed eyes relaxed somewhat as the room returned to its average brightness. After a few tense seconds, she let out a deep breath. "I'm not giving up… not tonight. Not for something this simple."
Abner sighed, returning to his stool but positioning his head so he could still see Nyx out of his peripheral. "Not like we will do anything interesting with our time anyway. So, did you, you know? Remove your own heart?"
"Hmm, I wasn't exactly willing or frilled at the time. Anyway, I have answered your question. If you are curious, give it a few days to a week, and I'm sure you will hear something about it."
Abnor's head turned towards Nyx, who was now slowly moving her hands behind her back, the tip of her tongue sticking out the side of her mouth as she focused on her task. "Did it hurt?"
"Not really. It's an organ like the rest. My body went into shock pretty quickly. It was far more disturbing that"
She paused for a moment.
"His hand was inside of me… again." Nyx shuddered slightly, just enough for Abnor to notice. "The lightning after… now that hurt."
"Lightning? No, wait. You said his hands were inside of you? Again?" Abnor paused for a few moments. "Is this linked to the story earlier? To what Becky and Rachel said?"
"You're out of questions." Nyx's face turned emotionless, just like her voice as she let the bra fall from her arms and onto the floor.
Abnor's pupils slightly widened as he saw Nyx's bare, white chest.
After regaining his senses, he flinched, pulling his hands to cover his head. However, after a few seconds, he lowered them, revealing a slightly confused expression.
Nyx sighed, turning to pick up the black, silk-like bandages on the floor nearby before holding one end under her armpit, started wrapping it around her chest.
After observing Nyx move the bandages around her a few times, Abnor cleared his throat. "Thought you weren't giving up?"
Nyx glared at Abnor for a moment before turning her head towards the double doors. The dark blue sky was brightening on the horizon. "At least you aren't foolish."
"I try." Abnor shrugged. "Sorry. Didn't mean to upset. Just… I want to know more about you."
"Seems not knowing when to quit runs in your family" Nyx shook her head, her damp hair clinging together.
"Huh?"
"Nevermind." Nyx finished wrapping the bandage around her chest. However, as she tucked in the end so it wouldn't fall apart, she glanced down and clicked her tongue.
Abnor noticed where Nyx was looking, his eyes landing on the bulge under her wrap as a smile erupted on his face. "Why are you upset? They are the idea-"
Nyx held up a finger to Abnor before picking up her robe and pulling it over her head. "It is so important for your health, as well as my plans, that you don't finish that sentence."
The room would have fallen into silence if it wasn't for the sounds of Abnor trying to stifle a chuckle.
Just as Abnor was about to open his mouth, Nyx asked a question as she pulled on some small, leather boots. They were dark brown, almost black. "Anyone looking for me?"
"Umm, no. It's the same as the last hundred times you asked. No one is looking for you." Abnor shook his head, the smile from earlier still etched onto his face. "Are you sure your 'friend' will know you are here and come looking?"
"Currency isn't the only thing spent here, and pleasures of the flesh aren't the only things on sale. Especially when it has someone like Sam is in charge."
"Huh? I don't get it. You have said that before. When you asked all those questions about where I lived." Abnor frowned, pouting slightly.
"Just reminding you so you can kick yourself later when you realise what was staring you in the face. Just make sure to do it while I'm around." Nyx's smile was slowly returning, the room brightening as it did.
"Why do you always pick on me?"
"Something of a pastime. A distraction as well as a way to remember some of the good old days."
Abnor snorted. "What, a time when you tormented children who wanted nothing more than to learn?"
"So you're a child now?" Without waiting for Abnor to say anything else, Nyx moved towards the double doors that lead to the outside.
Abnor sighed as he stood up, glancing at the damp mattress covered in water and puke. "I don't get it. Why pretend you are here recovering if all we ever do is go to a restaurant or tavern and eat while watching people? It's not like we are doing something wrong or illegal?"
Nyx shook her head. "I take it back. You're a lost cause. The gene pool definitely got diluted somewhere."
"Back to the insults." Abnor stamped one of his feet before turning and heading in Nyx's direction. "Can't you just give me a straight answer?"
"Ask the right questions then." After taking a deep breath, her figure becoming darker and less distinct, Nyx tapped her feet and leapt onto the railing. Turning her head left and right, she surveyed the empty street over thirty feet below.
Street lamps illuminated most of what she could see in a warm, yellow hue. However, in the gaps between them dark, almost foreboding shadows lingered.
The horizon was now a light blue, bleeding upwards into the night sky as the stars started to fade from sight.
"So~ now I can-" Abnor stopped, shaking his head slightly. "What's the point in what we have been doing?"
Nyx sighed, shaking her head. "You know, you are going to have to up your game and become more interesting, or I'm going to get bored of you real quick."
Nyx turned her head slightly so she could see behind her, spotting the hurt look that flashed across Abnor's face.
Turning back, she was silent a few moments before releasing a sigh. "So much hassle."
"What?"
"We have already achieved what we needed to do 'observing' our surroundings. Today's going to be slightly different." Nyx paused, watching a cat skirt along the wall of the building opposite before vanishing into what appeared to be a cellar window. "We are going to part ways. You will go to the adventurers guild and meet me at around ten at the entrance to the arena."
"What am I going to do there?"
"Change your name."
A broad grin appeared on Abnor's face for a second before it vanished. "Change my name? But I like Shadow?"
Nyx smiled. "I have a much better name for you."
"What is it?"
"Regent."
"Like King? Wait, I never told you, but my family name is Kingsman. That would be like calling me King Kingsman. It wouldn't make sense. Can't I keep shadow."
"No."
"But why?"
"Because..." Nyx's searching gaze, now checking out the entrances to the nearby alleys due to her height advantage, paused for a moment. "I like the sound of it."
"I thought women were hard enough to understand, but you... "Abnor closed his mouth as his muscles tensed. However, the strike he was expecting didn't occur.
Nyx chuckled. "That's because I'm not a woman. Well, not really."
Abnor frowned as he started to open his mouth.
"As an old friend once said, a long, long time ago. I'm a monster." Nyx erupted into shadows, masking her body completely. Moments later, her humanoid figure wreathed in shadows stepped off the balcony.
After gliding for a few meters, she gently placed her feet on the ground, the black mist that had surrounded seemingly absorbing into her skin.
Abnor had reached the balcony and was looking down. A rueful smile on his lips. "Why are all the awesome women so crazy?"
After climbing over the railing and taking a deep breath, he stepped out in a similar fashion to how Nyx had. A dark purple mist was erupting from around his legs and arms, only slightly obscuring his chest and head. His descent was much faster than Nyx's but looked extremely crude and unpolished in comparison.
Hitting the ground with a loud thud, Abnor rolled to his feet and turned around to see Nyx standing there with her head tilted and a single eyebrow raised.
"Aww, come on. That's like my third jump."
Nyx's head slightly moved from side to side. "I guess it wasn't too bad. But you are focusing too much on dark essence."
"But you-"
"No, we are different. If you try and copy me exactly at best, you will die. Worst, you will die slowly." Nyx cut him off, holding up one hand.
"Use your fire essence to heat the air and push it upwards, including the dark essence. It will reduce your weight and give you a bit more control."
Abnor's eyes widened. "You're giving me some help? Are you OK? Did you hit your head on the way down?"
A small smile threatened to appear on Nyx's face, her lips twitching at the edges. "No wonder I had that dream. You bend the truth just like him."
"What do you keep muttering about? It's getting annoying."
"Remember, ten in front of the arena." Before Nyx had even finished speaking, she had turned and walked towards a nearby alley.
Abner was about to follow, but when she passed through the shadow of one of the street lamps, Nyx's figure flickered and vanished from sight.
"I hate it when she does that…" Abnor sighed, sticking his hands in his pockets and turned, walking in the opposite direction. "What am I going to do until it opens? I should have just stayed and gone back to bed."
"Practice." Nyx's voice whispered in his ear, causing Abnor to jump. He spun, looking behind him only to find an empty street.