"With that, I should be able to comfortably cross this off the to-do list," I mutter, tapping the end of the pen against the clipboard. "Which leaves..." I flip through several pages. "Several more to go."

Just when I thought I had made a dent in this.

"Pfft, it's a lot, isn't it?" Mary chuckles as she passes by me. Two dark circles are under her eyes with hair that resembles a chicken nest. "Just wait, you haven't seen anything yet."

Smiling to myself, I slowly shake my head.

"Hey, Beatrice, do you mind if I ask you something?" Mary asks while setting down the crate she's carrying.

"Um, sure. Long as it's within my capacity," I say.

Slightly tilting her head, Mary gazes at something behind me.

"Did something happen between you and your tentacles?" Mary asks, scratching her head. "I've noticed that they seem rather angry about something."

Mentally probing through the bond, I feel around the giant block the tentacles had put up. I lightly push against the barrier before quickly retreating.

What could be so important in there? Maintaining a barrier this big can be taxing even for a short time, let alone several days.

Shrugging my shoulders, I glance down at the clipboard. "I don't know why they're like this either."

Since the strange vision entered my head, the tentacles have been silent. I won't be getting anything from them anytime soon.

Mary asks as she approaches me, "Isn't that a bit worrying?"

I shrug. "A bit, but it's not like I can do anything about it."

While I am concerned about their activities, they haven't given me a reason to suspect foul play. Unless necessary, I won't attempt to forcefully breach their barrier—the consequences would be too severe for both parties involved.

Mary suddenly flinches, swiveling her head around with narrow-eyed suspicion.

"Say, Beatrice," she says casually, still scanning her surroundings, "Do you know what an Essevian's could be used for?"

Why is she looking around like that? Should I be worried?

I briefly glance behind me before turning back to face Mary.

"It depends on the tentacles and your Essevian tier," I say, raising an eyebrow. "Mine can act like an extra set of hands or provide better grip when climbing—pretty standard compared to others."

"I guess that sort of answers my question," Mary mutters, resting her chin on her hand. "I suppose I wasn't clear enough."

I tilt my head. "What do you mean by that?"

Mary startles and shifts her gaze to something beside us. Following her eyes, I frown at a pile of boulders.

"I need to go," Mary says, her eyes darkening as she rubs her forehead. "Can you take care of things while I'm gone?"

I blink rapidly. "Uh, sure."

"Thanks. If I'm not back in a few minutes, please keep an eye on George and Matthew for me. Those two might try to sneak into some random Asura hunter's tent."

I'd rather avoid Matthew and his unsettling glances, but as long as I keep George away from him, it shouldn't come to that.

"Alright, Mary. I'll keep an eye on them," I assure her.

As Mary walks away, I watch her closely from behind. Her back is hunched, shoulders drawn together in a protective stance.

Should I have asked what's on her mind? Would that be appropriate or sound too nosy? I can't have another repeat with Trevor. Not again.

Shaking my head, I glance down at the clipboard in my hand.

I don't think I'm the right person for the task. Since we've only known each other for a few weeks, someone like Arbora or George would probably do a better job than me.

----------------------------------------

"After this, the next item on the list is..." I glance down at the clipboard, scanning it a couple of times. "Negotiating the amount of rations for the porters."

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

I couldn't even get any asura hunters to listen to my concerns last time. I doubt negotiating rations will go over well.

"Does your eye not fall out when you stare at that paper for too long?" Travis remarks sarcastically from behind. "Did that thing wrong you in some way? Why are you looking like it owes you money?"

Quickly turning around, I see Travis slithering toward me with a smirk on his face.

"Travis... I haven't seen you around lately. Is there something you want?" I ask, scanning him up and down.

Something flashes across the cobra's eyes as he slithers beside me. Rolling his shoulders, Travis lets out a huff.

"What, is it a crime now to talk to you?" Travis says with a yawn, slightly puffing out his hood as he looks up to the side.

"Well, no, but..."

Why is Travis pretending to be offended when he's the one who has been avoiding me? Speaking of...

"Why have you been avoiding me these past few days?" I ask, narrowing my eyes. "Ever since our conversation while we were getting our rations, you've been going out of your way to evade me."

Travis's hood briefly flares up before swiftly deflating. Scratching the top of his head, he glances at me from the corner of his eye.

"Don't you remember what you said last time?"

"Remember? What do you mean?"

Did something I said offend him? It's possible, given my mental state at the time. But what exactly? I can't recall much from then; the days seem to blend together. Perhaps I should take Mary's and Ollie's advice and get more sleep.

"I just thought—" Travis cuts himself off and roughly shakes his head. "Nevermind. It's nothing. Anyways, that's not what I want to talk about." He presents his arm to me, the cobra slowly opening his palm. "I want to give you this."

On his open palm is a thin bracelet with a circular bead connecting it. It's the size of a man's wrist but looks small within Travis' hand.

"What is it?" I ask, cautiously poking at it.

"A shield. It's supposed to protect you from physical damage or at least partly."

"Partly?"

"It's powered using batteries that can somewhat manipulate the asura around us to create a barrier. Something I doubt most engineers would be able to do," Travis smirks before quickly faltering as he continues. "Unfortunately, this means it cannot withstand damage that exceeds a certain limit. You also have to remember to recharge it daily, as well."

Gingerly poking it a few times, I pick the bracelet up and hold it to the light.

I guess that's not too bad considering it's powered entirely by electricity. It's honestly impressive Travis managed to manipulate the surrounding asura. I don't think many people could do that.

Inspecting it between my fingers, I turn toward him. "You mentioned that it had a certain limit. What is it, by the way?"

Travis shrugs, staring at me blankly.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

Scratching the back of his head, Travis wrinkles his snout. "All of the bracelets I created have various limits, so it's kinda hard to tell. Some can just break from you sneezing on them."

Staring at him with half-lidded eyes, I blink slowly.

Well, I guess it's the thought that counts.

"Why would you gift me this, anyway?"

As nice as this is, Travis might have an ulterior motive for gifting me a bracelet. We barely know each other. Why would anyone bother gifting something to a total stranger? Why would Travis go out of his way to gift this?

"I mean, other than Iss and Matthew, you're the only one I can talk to. It's going to be pretty boring around here without you," Travis says, picking up a discarded shoe. "Considering the news about that Essevian. Until the case is resolved, it's not safe for you to be wandering around without some kind of protection." He grimaces suddenly, a shudder passing through his body. "I still don't get why anyone would want to cut several of that undead's tentacles. What would anyone want with your guys' tentacles anyway? No offense intended."

"None taken."

I honestly wouldn't want them either, but it's not like I can remove them permanently. Aside from trying to provoke an Essevian into aggression, why anyone would do that is beyond me.

Travis scrunches his snout and begins pulling the shoe apart. "Also, even before the incident, you look like one of those rabbits who will faint at the slightest scare."

I respond hesitantly, "I'm not... well, what about everyone else? I mean, we are in a dungeon, so isn't that natural?"

Rude cobra. I wasn't doing whatever he said. It's natural to be on guard about things. There's danger everywhere if you know where to look.

"I'm not saying it's bad, but you do look ridiculous," Travis remarks, grabbing one of the shoe's shoelaces and slowly tugging it out. "But you haven't been too bad these past few days. You seem happier, especially around that short lady. Smiling quite a lot, too."

"Oh, I am?" I reply, feeling around my mouth.

That's...not possible, is it? Shouldn't I have been able to tell?

Rolling his eyes, Travis flicks out his tongue. "Of course not right now, you dolt."

As Travis resumes tearing the shoe apart, I glance at the bracelet on my hand.

"So, there's nothing you want in return for this?" I ask, holding the bracelet up.

Tutting to himself, Travis barely looks at me. "Well, if you insist, you could advise me on how to act like a human."

"That's it? Nothing else?"

"Nope," Travis punctuates with a click of his mouth. "You don't have to do it if you don't want to. Just consider it repayment for the last time you helped me with an invention."

Frowning, I inspect the bracelet between my fingers before putting it on. It hangs slightly off my wrist, making my arm look small.

'Kzzz!' 'Kzzz!'

<>The reporter's voice crackles << through the airwaves, hinting at a future Academies Clash despite the absence of rival schools.>>

Huh, Academies Clash? I can't believe it's been a few years since I last participated in one.

"I wonder who's watching that," Travis mumbles under his breath before turning toward me. "Hey, I'm going to see if I can sneak a peek at it. See you later."

As I wave Travis off, I shift my gaze to the clipboard in my hand.

Right, I still have to knock these out first.

A chilling sensation crawls across my spine, prickling into my skin. Intense fear and terror wash through the bond as the tentacles' barrier swiftly crumbles. I spin around quickly, scanning the surrounding area.

It's that feeling again. What in the world is it?

The sensation that has wrapped itself around my spine quickly dissipates as I continue to stand there.