Gwyn and Vyath were surprisingly easy to talk to. It certainly helped that they understood my situation. I couldn’t fathom being obliged to tell this secret to people who were not as receptive.
We talked about what exactly happened at the obelisk so that Vyath could try to cross-reference it to anything he might find. I told him about the odd language around the circle, though that was something anyone could see for themselves. Even so, it was probably an important piece of the puzzle. That inscription was bound to have some meaning.
I didn’t disclose anything else about my blessing other than what I already had. I elaborated on whatever I could without mentioning my skills and abilities and such.
“So,” I eventually said. “What I’ve been wondering about… why are there three obelisks? Are there inscriptions on those as well, and are they the same thing?”
“Good questions,” Vyath said calmly. “Though, I doubt anyone knows the answer to that. I have good hopes the goddess will know more.”
“You have high hopes in your goddess,” Gwyn said. “I mean, I don’t mean to be a bitch about it, but she doesn’t sound omnipotent. Just look at Kealyna. She wasn’t able to fully counter the curse that Hograd placed on her.”
“Well, I mean, you’re right, but she also didn’t have a lot of time. I was more or less pulled out of her realm by force.”
“I see,” The succubus said quietly.
“And she does seem to not know everything. When I talked to her earlier, she couldn’t tell me why this happened to me, but she said she would try to find out. Though, I have to admit, I don’t know what good it will do me.”
“Because?” Gwyn inquired.
“Because it doesn’t matter, does it?” I said. “I am what I am, and to be honest, I’m happy with it.”
“That is one thing I noticed,” She said. “You’re surprisingly calm. How long have you lived like that now?”
“A week or two?” I floated, turning my head to look at Cellestra, who nodded.
“Something like that,” She confirmed.
The succubus frowned. “How did you two even… meet?”
I shook my head. “That’s a… long story. One I’d rather not tell, to be honest.”
Cellestra gazed down into my rearmost eyes with a certain sadness in her own. I had the feeling it was because of guilt. I never blamed her for what she did to me after rescuing me, but it still seemed to weigh down on her. Perhaps I should talk to her about it again sometime.
That was the downside of these new traveling companions. Even if they were temporary, I couldn’t talk to Cellestra in the same way I did before, and I felt a certain loneliness from it. The elf wasn’t the most vocal with others, that much was clear.
I was already surprised with myself in that regard. I didn’t have any issues speaking with people where I thought I would, but I didn’t plan to go into too much detail about my life, or my old life for that matter.
With Cellestra, it seemed I could talk about the most mundane things without issues. That being said, it was hard for either of us to start, but I imagined that time would eventually make things easier.
“You don’t have to tell us everything, dear,” Gwyn spoke coyly. “And we certainly wouldn’t want to force it out of someone so… special.”
I smiled slightly. “Thanks.”
“One more question,” Vyath said in a serious tone. “You said you spoke to Elysa recently, correct? How long has it been?”
“Uh, a day or four? I assume this has to do with the ritual and how it can’t be done too quickly, right?”
“Correct,” The elf said. “The strain on the mind can be heavy, and doing it more than once can cause permanent damage. A few days of rest is usually recommended.”
“In that case, I think I’ll be fine. I do have two minds as well to split the load, so to say.”
“That… I hadn’t even thought of that,” Vyath said in surprise and intrigue at the same time.
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“Before you ask,” I said with a grin. “No, I do not know how it works. All I know is that it does.”
Cellestra giggled softly behind me. I was happy to see her mood improve after her earlier dip. The next part of the journey was spent answering Vyath’s questions, mostly about my anatomy. Unfortunately for him, I knew very little about spiders besides what I knew of myself, so most of the questions went unanswered.
In fact, Cellestra started talking more and managed to answer a few questions to which I lacked the answer. One of the male elf’s questions had been if I could produce silk.
Now, of course, I could, but after learning the thread manipulation skill, I’d not used my spinnerets once. I figured this bit of information couldn’t hurt to give away, and showed him how I could summon threads from thin air and then shoot or control them as I wished.
When I did so, the disbelief on his face only grew. Cellestra and I both smirked after she pulled out the shirt that I’d created, and showed it.
“As you can see, I’ve been practicing,” I said as Cellestra showed them the shirt. I took pride in creating something of somewhat decent quality so fast.
I imagined showing them something like this would make me appear even less of a monster. Not that I thought there was any doubt left, but who knew if this could lead to some… connections. Right now, we had no source of income, so something would have to be set up in the near future. Even if ten coins was more than enough for multiple weeks, we couldn’t sit by idly.
“That reminds me of something,” Vyath said. “I’ve been meaning to ask you, both of you. Do you have any plans of joining a guild in the near future? I could put in a word with the weaver’s guild if you’d like.”
It seemed Vyath had the same idea. I chuckled at the mention of the type of guild he suggested, though. “I’ve been carrying a halberd the entire time, I have a chunk of starmetal that I’m dead-set on forging into a high-quality weapon, and you suggest the weaver’s guild?”
“Uhhh,” he stammered.
Meanwhile, Gwyn burst into loud laughter. “For all the information you gather, you miss out on that aspect.”
Vyath sighed and shook his head. “So, you’re intending to join the mercenary guild, or the dungeon exploration guild, then?”
I was slightly surprised that there were two separate combat-oriented guilds, but from what I had gotten to know about this kingdom was that it was organized to a high standard. There was probably a reason behind it that was still unknown to me.
“The dungeon exploration guild,” I replied. “If the name is anything to go by, that is the one we’d like to join.”
“Not sure what I can do for you there. You’ll have to prove yourselves before entering. I’m not sure how the guilds up north do that exactly, but if you’re as strong as you are fast, I don’t think you’ll have any problems.”
“I’m sure I’ll be fine,” I said with a slight nod.
“Besides,” Gwyn said slyly. “I have the feeling you’ve been holding back.”
“Is it that obvious?” I smirked. “Yes, I have been holding back. It would be stupid to tell you all I can do.”
“Smart girl,” The succubus replied.
As we talked, we covered a great distance. It was late in the afternoon when the settlement they talked about earlier came into view. I was surprised at first to see that it had no walls of any kind, but on second thought, it somewhat made sense as it was impossible for an outside army to get here. I imagined there were measures in place to prevent attacks from random bandits… if those even existed here.
“Are bandits a thing in these areas?” I asked.
Vyath let out a condescending chuckle. “Not really, no. Public order is kept by town guards, but prosperity is high, so there is hardly any reason to resort to banditry in the first place. To deal with the few that do think treading that path is the way to some quick coin, there are frequent patrols and expeditions through forests, where they could reside. The mercenary guild and the kingdom’s soldiers work together closely to keep the people safe.”
I was relieved to hear that this was worked on so hard. The whole bandit thing was a bit… personal to me. It seemed the more I learned about this place, this world, the more I realized just how specific Elysa’s choice was.
I should thank her when I see her.