"Couldn't be…" the priestess said, as she looked at the shifting ashes, from on high.
One monster, and one only, got up, out of the ashes.
She recognised it to be the same one she was fighting earlier, her light blade still logged into its thick skin, still not drawing a single drop of putrid rotten blood.
It pulled the sword out. Upon dropping it, it turned ethereal as she let go of her hold on the blades physical form. The monster looked deep into her eyes, and smiled, it turned around and left, barely any scratches on it.
As her brilliance vanished, it made the monster's silhouette contrast even more against the foot prints it left in the snowy ashes. The huge and gruesome figure blurred away and fading into the horizon.
"That sure was creepy, what do you think it was all about anyway?" – Gydil asked the priestess.
Still looking at the spot where the monster that smiled at her once was. "I don't know." Then she turned to face them.
"…anyway, you two!?"
Arduo moved slightly closer to her. "Don't!" Urged the priestess.
"I don't know what you did to me or where you got it, but I'm not going to let it happen again. So, I'm going to keep my distance from the two of you. And even then, I'm still ready to go bright – not ideal but effective. Let's not do all that."
The city had barely realised much of anything wrong, despite the suspicious occurrences leading to the explosion. Such a force was a regular occurrence, so they didn't pay it any mind.
"…what are we going to do Arduo?"
"…I'm not sure yet – give me a second…"
The priestess grabbed her abdomen, the pain from releasing that orb from her soul was still creating immense phantom pain. She looked up at them.
"No need!"
Both Arduo and Gydil looked at each other in confusion then back to the priestess.
She explained. "I'll be going with you guys – no need to drag me along."
"I don't get it – and no, I heard you – I just fail to see your logic."
She removed her hand from her abdomen, and looked at them, smirking a little. "Let's just say I'm interested in meeting this person. One that could drive you two to fight so furiously against all odds. I had actually planned to come along silently but seeing you guys so close to death just made me use my power to free myself and help you two. So, at the very least I put myself in a vulnerable point, that should afford me the benefit of the doubt, no?"
Arduo was in rotten body she had dug up from around the city perimeter. They were all still outside, trying to avoid causing a commotion, thus another explosion. She spoke with certainty one could only get after years spent on a chase such as this.
"There's got to be something else you're not saying, and if you don't, I won't believe a word you say. I know you, you don't have a set of plans in your head. Instead, you have a goal, and a roadmap that none can see – I've learned that much. At the very least – you don't have ulterior motives, but you do have a sort of certainty that this path will take you where you want to go, and sadly, I still can't see as far as you down that road – so talk."
"Really!? Who are you guys? I know people who have attempted to find me for centuries, none ever even coming close. Yet, you seen to have figured me out somehow – how? How long have you been tailing me."
Gydil smirked as well. "Well, she's been tailing you just a little under three decades, me just two of them. And even I'm sceptical."
The priestess stood there staring at them. She almost took a step back in disbelief. Then she smiled and clapped. "You managed to find me in three decades!? You guys really do have to tell me later about how you did it."
Arduo asked, "Later?"
She replied: "Yeah, I said I'm coming with you, no?"
…
"Still not trusting me – I thought my praise would distract you. I should have known, you guys know a lot about me, even though this is the first we ever met. I got to say, it feels kinda nice to be seen so much. Anyway, don't fret – I really am interested in meeting that friend… I mean acquaintance of yours. I might have got rid of that sphere you put in me, but the thing you used really was something. I'm betting you have more of them, don't you."
Arduo then pulled out a set of cuffs. "In fact, I do, these are harder to put onto a moving target such as yourself, and have a lower guarantee, but they're good for it. Cuffing one hand cuts about a quarter of your power, cuffing both hands cuts half of your power away."
Then Arduo threw it at her feet. The priestess picked them up, inspecting them. "Still don't believe me?"
"Oh, no, I do. I just want to see your commitment to not running away as soon as we turn our backs – call it assurance."
"Good, I thought you guys were slipping, I really am not hiding anything. I trust you two to be able to tell when I'm scheming. But honestly, this is a little bit too much, don't you think? I can barely use my power or even feel anything from that thing from earlier, and with this I might as well be a useless rug. Can I at least just cuff one hand."
Gydil looked at Arduo, she then replied. "That should be okay."
"Really!?"
…
"I'll take what I can get." After she cuffed one arm, she felt the drain, but a few second later she had adjusted. "Should we go into the city first? Don't we need to fetch some supplies for the journey?"
"No need, we already had an escape route all ready, prepared ahead."
"No way…"
Gydil laughed. "Don't think much about it – we do it everywhere in case we caught you. We often need to make a hasty retreat."
Her smile turned from impressed to whimsical. "Still impressive."
Arduo was about to leave the corpse she was in, but before that she added. "Unless if you have something personal to do?"
"Nope – I really kept myself alienated from my system, and the people. It's so good now. It can tweak and adapt itself without me. Trust me, despite my smile right now, I'm still very much in shock that someone found me, so fast at that."
Soon they circled around, got onto a super signil. A huge beast, like an elephant with dozens of stubby legs, armour, no trunk, two tusks, and a massive ramming rhino horn right in the middle. It had speed and space. They could have gotten a car, but they were not effective. Faster – yes, fuel efficient – yes, cost effective – yes, traceable – extremely. They didn't want to be tracked, even if it meant giving up on the conveniency. Beasts were more reliable for special directives such as these. And not to mention, should the signil die, Arduo could just hijack it – she could not to a broken-down car.
As they rode off, something finally clicked inside the head of the priestess. "Oh, right, guys – my name is Ichor."
They both looked back. Gydil spoke first. "We thought about it, but we weren't going to ask. I'm Gydil by the way."
Arduo sleeping on the back of the decaying flesh of her current body, eyes still closed added. "My name is Arduo."
"Well, I can't wait to meet your benefactor."
Both Arduo and Gydil looked at each other once more, they had no telepathy, but it was like they could speak to each other in thought – a solid partnership.
'We probably shouldn't tell her about what kind of being she really is up to meet.' – thought Gydil.
A willing captive is far better than any other. Thought Arduo, I should feel bad about ever leading anyone to that thing, but I won't – cause luckily for my conscience, she insisted.
Ichor starred at them, trying to surmise their thoughts. As brilliant as she was, she could not. She just didn't think or even ponder that anyone would risk their lives with so much determination to rival kings, all to a being as vile and retched as the Knight. The thought never crossed her mind. So, try as she did, this simple assumption stopped her from making sense of their thoughts through studying the air, breathing, expressions, silence, souls, and mental state, as she usually would.
'I didn't think they could do it, but I got to say, they impressed me once again. Covert communication without skills or tools, and encrypted thoughts. My mental readings are on another level, but I still can't decrypt them.'
As good as they were normally, the priestess – Ichor, was giving them more credit that deserved on this particular front. This single discrepancy, that her incredible strategizing calibre couldn't see, made her make simple deductions, that accounted for the error. She also made a point to account for a gross misreading. Anticipating such an outcome, she thought.
'I should probably seal it; in case they have a way of seeing it – or their benefactor does.'
Dim lighting shined inside her clothes, dim enough to be missed. Once the light disappeared, it left yellow patterned tattoos. A mediocre divine seal done in a moment of weakness – but it was enough. She looked at their faces, trying to find a clue as to whether they could see the dim light as she sealed it.
'It's either they're that good at hiding the fact they saw me seal it, or they didn't. Regardless, I still have to be careful – I'm still a prisoner. Kinda strange to say.'
She then looked at them and spoke aloud. "Can you guys tell me how you tracked me down, I'm really curious."
Arduo didn't speak, expecting this, Gydil explained. She was there for two decades, and for the first, Arduo had told her about it. Under the harsh light of the afternoon sun, Gydil regaled Ichor about the tale. Only being interrupted when Ichor made a stout observation.
"You drew me? I'm flattered."
….
"She did what!? So, I guess that means she's always been like this, desperate. She can be so mean."
Arduo shifted, trying not to listen. Gydil reminisced about how Arduo had baited her. Ichor felt more phantom ache's from the pain that Arduo had inflicted on her.
…
"So, she was the one who made a scene at Orinsca."
…
"You figured from the parade?"
…
"Those were the back up plans, and divergence strategies…"
…
After a few days passed, Gydil finally finished the tale.
"Your determination is truly inspiring. I know I already said it, but I really am glad to have my face in the minds of people after so long. Having a nice talk like this, on a trip – it's all really revitalising. Granted, if this were under a different set of circumstances, I'd even call it fun."
Then she raised her left hand and jingled the dark shackles on her arm.
***
They travelled for months and months, eventually even getting so bored that they retold each of their adventures. Everyone made sure to keep their skeletons deep in their closets.
Arduo had come far from the Home continent in her exploit. It took them a few more years, even at the signil's speed to reach the continents between, it was not a short journey.
Eventually, after crossing three other continents, she came to the Nhoils continent. Arduo knew she was close, the simple fact that she started hearing stories about a hero knight. Even more so when she heard the famous legend of Revel Arc.
"What happened to this place? The last time I was here, I had to hire an off the record captain to sneak through, the entire place was besieged by dark knights."
It chilled her to the bone to hear that it wiped out all of them. She didn't want to hear about how much stronger and more revered that thing had become – no matter how much time passed, she could never forget how Nick died.
"Is anything wrong?" Asked Gydil.
"Oh, it's nothing, let's just find a ship and cross."
For the last two years she hadn't been able to make a report to the Knight. This made her nervous, she didn't want to re-experience rehearing its noise for the first time again. She shook her head, chasing the thoughts away.
"This is good isn't it, if Revel Arc is once again operational then we should be able to take our ride along with us on the crossing of the Ocean. The Home continent is just southeast of the port isn't it – so why the worried face."
"It's nothing, just the tales about dark knights, darkness, and heroes, got me a little on the edge. Let's go."
Has everyone gone mad??? Arduo thought. That thing is no hero!... Remember Arduo – it's all so that one of us can rest in peace. You have to get one thing right before you go. Please let it be this. I'm so close…