"You are quite unique… I don't know how to put it."
Over the years she had lived for, the yellow haired figure hadn't seen a Hollow like Darwin before.
Upon closer inspection, she notices a quiet, resting Reiatsu enveloping Darwin.
Her curiosity tightens around the thought, pulling her in, urging her to learn more about him.
Hearing such a compliment from someone he perceived as stronger than Mies gave him a small but pleasant push.
"I appreciate your comment."
"You also know when to show appreciate… How perplexing…"
"Lady Harribel! Don't let this man sway you any further. All male Hollows are the same. Dirty, ugly, and self-centred bastards which live and breathe the same air as us." Stepping in front of Harribel with her hooves, the Deer Adjucha openly shows her disgust towards Darwin.
But such actions didn't tick him off in any way. He wanted to know why she acted in this manner.
'I haven't done anything to warrant this reaction. Could this be a result of chaotic emotions? Maybe something deeper at play…' Trying to grapple a foreign outburst, Darwin chooses to stay quiet.
"I understand your concern Appachi… But judging a Hollow by their stereotype isn't always the right way to communicate with others.
The Snake Adjucha gestured Appachi to stay away and let Harribel deal with Darwin.
"I apologise for one of my fraccion's abrupt behaviour."
"It's fine. I want to know where Las Noches is?"
'Again… Las Noches…' Harribel felt that there was a story behind his question.
"…I would have to first ask your motive behind Las Noches."
'Motive… Is it to take on Mies' quest in becoming stronger? Is it because I want to become stronger for myself?' Wrapping his mind in a silent conundrum, Darwin feels that her question was quite difficult to answer. He vaguely understood what his goal was in this journey.
This monetarily revealed his a subtle crack on Darwin's expression. This question had caused him to frown in deep confusion,
"Maybe you need time to answer this question."
"No… I think I can tell you." He waves her off gesturing that he had an answer to her concerns.
"I'm seeking knowledge about my existence. Strength is what I need in order to do accomplish this goal."
Harribel laments at his answer, intrigued beyond a doubt, 'How interesting… Not for power alone, but for answers to his existence?'
"Its vague. It doesn't tell me whether you are seeking for something else like perhaps the throne."
"Well how about we talk more inside."
Inside, there were decorations placed around a small room, enough to be called an office or a place of important conversations. Surronding this room, there were neatly placed lanterns in all four corners brightening up slightly. Darwin also feels a gentle flow of Reishi travelling inside this room.
'Interesting place… There are so many mysteries regarding to this somewhat abandoned castle. Though, four powerful beings are residing within it.'
The humble nature of this room was something he liked.
Surrounding themselves around a circular table. They began holding a secluded meeting.
Shoving her hooves ontop of the table, the first to break the ice was non other than Appachi.
"Show some respect for Lady Harribel, lowlife!"
"Appachi!" Annoyed by Appachi's comment, she gestured her to quieten down.
"She had terrible experiences with male Hollows."
Nonchalantly, Darwin brushes it off with a low hanging sigh, "It's not a big deal. Let's go back to the main topic: Las Noches. Specifically how do I get there the fastest?"
"Las Noches is an extremely dangerous part of Hueco Mundo, I don't want to send someone like yourself in harms way. I highly advise you to either stay in Menos Forest or somewhere deeper like the Second Stratos."
Noting the severity of the place at hand, he continued, "Since there isn't a need to rush there in the first place. I would like to ask you the details regarding to that location."
Harribel silently ponders to herself on what to say next. Her expression shifts between squinting and sighing. With a weary groan, she closed her eyes with a soft sigh, "There is a being that controls Las Noches, his name is Baraggan Louisenbairn."
Observantly, Darwin quickly notices a tinge of animosity arising from her Reiatsu.
She continued, "He has an army of strong Hollows, he kills dregs and useless ones as he pleases. An arbiter of chaos."
As Darwin listens to Harribel's tone of voice, he could feel and understand that there were underlying problems she had experienced.
But as the conversation about this particular individual resurfaces, Darwin couldn't help but feel a hint of both excitement and intrigue.
"Well how about the Stratos. I wanna know more about this Stratos you are advising me about."
Interjecting quite boorishly, Lioness Adjucha asked, "What?! You don't know about the Stratos?!"
Silent towards her question, Darwin shakes his head.
"So you are a newcomer to Menos Forest." Harribel exhaled quietly, resting her chin on her palm. Her gaze softened—was that pity?
"Then let me tell you."
"The ecosystem is constantly changing with the interactions between each Stratos."
"Second Strato consists of mainly Gillians. When attacked by deeper and stronger Hollows from other Stratos, they work together in order to kill or fend against them."
She then gestures her finger downwards, continuing her explanation, "Working our way down, the lower Stratos will have a higher population of Adjuchas ranging from Lower class to Upper class."
Darwin notes all this information with an affirmative nod.
He asked in response, "So eventually… Would there be Vasto Lordes residing in the lower or perhaps, the lowest Stratos?"
Harribel silently nods to his question, "Indeed."
"The dynamic between each Stratos is disproportionally different. One in particular, the very last Stratos, Tenth Stratos."
"What is so different about the last one?"
With a solemn expression, she replied, "There lies a lonely Vasto Lorde having the entire Stratos to himself."
"I had a glimpse of the insurmountable amounts of dead corpses ranging from regular Hollows to Lower Class Adjuchas. It was both sad and life threatening to linger anymore. I chose to not risk my followers life if I were to converse with this individual."
'I wonder if I could get near this Vasto Lorde.'
She continued, "Strong Hollows would go back to the previous Stratos in order to recoup their strength and get more powerful. Each Stratos has a different level of Reishi supplied to it, the deeper the level, the more abundant."
Lastly, she concluded, "That's all the intel we have gathered."
'Maybe there lies some hidden murals about the existence of Hollows…'
"Well I got something for your time and information." He hands Harribel some pills.
Sensing a pure smell of Reishi within the pills, she asked, "What are these?"
He answered, "These are pills made from dead Hollows. Don't worry, it's from hostile ones."
As he prepares to leave for Second Statros, a place he had no real intel on, Harribel gestured him to stop.
"Wait. Let me take you there."
Darwin thought that he would owe them too much for their consideration.
"Lady Harribel. We will come with you."
He could sense the loyalty within Snake Adjucha's tone. He also saw the other two who were apart of Harribel's fraccion had the same reaction.
"That's right. I will never leave your side, Lady Harribel. Especially with a male Hollow. Ugh—" Appacci was firm in her statement. But Darwin could tell she was quite adamant in her prejudice towards him.
"If he does anything out of the ordinary, he will get what he deserves." Lioness Adjucha vowed. She even gave Darwin a look of a predator to its prey.
'I—don't know if I should accept or not.'