More than that, there was someone standing in the shadows. He wore a scarlet coat, holding up a lamp to rid the clearing of shadow. When that orange light bathed over him, Coriel realised it was Redansia standing in front of the black wolf!
Out on a hunt, had the maester of the troupe found himself in danger?
Coriel rushed towards Redansia, pulling the knife concealed in her cloak out as she joined his side.
But as she glanced up at him, she realised he was not afraid. He did not have the expression she expected one to have when facing such a monster. She had been a soldier, she didn't feel as if she should be afraid of the beast, but this man was just the leader of a performance troupe? Shouldn't he be trembling, at least slightly?
He glanced down at Coriel as if the beast was no matter, frowning.
"Ms. Coriel, why have you come to the forest? It's dangerous here."
"I should be asking you the same question, Maester! What is this? We should run!"
He slowly reached his hands towards his shoulders, grasping hold of the cloth as he slipped his coat off of his back, causing it to drop to the ground below in a heap of crimson.
"No, Ms. Coriel. This is a hunt that I'm on, remember? I intend to fight this beast. You should leave, before you find yourself in danger."
Her eyes shimmered with confusion.
What was he even talking about? A beast of this size? In her home country, on the surface world, they had a creature about the same size… an elephant. This was the most apt comparison she could conjure in order to describe it. It was an elephant… with many mouths, eyes, and claws as sharp as blades.
How was the troupe leader expecting to hunt this creature? Had he suddenly gone insane?
The black wolf suddenly charged, having caught notice of their presence. Coriel grimaced, raising her knife as she stepped in front of Maester Redansia.
I have no predilection for beasts! He can't be harmed, not by this! Damn it, why was he even intending to hunt in the first place!?
The blade dragged along the sharp points of its fur, radiant pain surging through her fingers. The strength of the strike- even grazing against it- was insanely brutal! This was something that Maester Redansia had intended to fight himself!?
Coriel grimaced, taking the brunt of the attack with her prosthesis, the shrieking of metal striking against it, ringing out into the air. The force knocked her backwards, her head hitting the hard soil below. Her world shook, her head ringing, her vision blurred.
The durability of the black wolf's flesh was intense, like it was made of steel. Each hair on its body was fibrous, tense, and sharp, like spines. This was definitely not like it should be…
The black wolf regrouped immediately and dove towards Redansia, who merely continued looking at Coriel as it closed its maw around his form.
She tried to scramble to her feet, rushing toward Redansia, who had a worried look on his face.
"It's alright, Ms. Coriel."
In the next moment, Redansia was sitting atop the beast's head, leaning his arm on his knee as he smiled genially. The beast, dazed from hitting its head on the ground in absence of the troupe leader, let out a blood-curdling snarl.
What had happened? Wasn't Redansia about to be devoured by the black wolf? How had he suddenly turned the tide of battle, with no weapons no less!?
There was something distinctly different about him this time. That was when she noticed it. His left eye was no longer a gleaming emerald green. It was dark, despairing, crimson.
This was a Spirit!
"This is how I fight. You do not need to interfere. I don't wish you to be hurt."
She suddenly realised that the soil below her was soft, and although the impact was terrible, she had not hit the ground as she had expected. Tucked neatly underneath her, Redansia's red coat had been bundled up. Was it by chance that she had landed atop it?
Crimson-black shadows roared outwards as they wrapped themselves around Redansia, appearing from the ground as he hopped off of the beast, turning around to face it. He extended his hand outwards, a blade appearing as he wrapped his fingers around its onyx hilt.
His Spirit Bond quickly overtook him, an aura of vileness permeating through the area.
It was a set of fascinating, fearsome obsidian armour. The helmet was shaped like a terrifying bird of prey, and feather-like decorations on the breastplate and cloak were coloured crimson and orange, falling down towards his waist and legs.
But what caught Coriel's attention most was the red mane hanging from the helm. It was fur, like a beast, not like a bird. She would assume that most decorations of armour would tie into a greater theme, so why did he mimic bird and beast alike?
In his right hand, he wielded a laring sword- a semi-curved blade with two prongs on its end. The handle had a hooked hilt, so that the sword wouldn't slip from his hand when he pulled it out of the target he stabbed.
Has he really been a Spirit User this entire time? Why did he conceal that truth from me, or the others? They didn't seem to herald him like he was this powerful, so what was his reason for doing so? Does he not trust the members of the troupe with this information? If that's really the case, is this truly a dire situation, for him to use it in front of me, the newest and least-trustable member of his troupe?
"You can leave now, Ms. Coriel. Pretend like you saw nothing, let this be my burden. I have it more than handled."
Why was he saying such a thing? Did he really, honestly assume that Coriel of all people would let him face the beast alone? Where did he derive his confidence from? Did he really think he could beat it himself?
"If it forced you to use an ability you had concealed from everyone around you, then wouldn't it be understandable to presume you have been forced into a corner?" Coriel noted, brandishing the knife as she stood up and posed beside the man. Of course, this must be the case. He wouldn't reveal his abilities otherwise. This man was truly an enigma, a walking trove of mystery.
If he was a powerful Spirit User, confident in his ability to take on such a beast by himself, why was he leading a performance troupe through small, penniless villages?
Redansia smirked, chuckling. "If it were any normal beast, then I would be fine without using my Spirit Bond. But this… this black wolf isn't normal."
Coriel's eyebrows furrowed. She had thought the same when they had first clashed. What exactly was wrong with this beast?
When gazing into its eyes… she had the distinct, nearly-unrelenting urge to crawl into its mouth and curl up… it was peaceful, inviting…
…terrifying.
"What is that ability you employed?"
Redansia glanced over towards Coriel as the beast's next strike came hurtling towards his head. He quickly and effectively averted it, striking back with his blade in a way that powerfully deflected, driving the black wolf's paw upwards as the cracking of bones resounded through the clearing. Fractured bones split out from underneath its skin, blood seeping onto the ground below.
"I'm 'borrowing' time. As long as no one is keeping track of time, I can 'borrow' several seconds to make my preparations to counterattack. That deflection was my careful calculation in the several seconds I had to prepare."
Coriel rushed forward with her knife, flipping it over in her hand as she dragged it along the ankle of the beast. It barely left a scratch on the black wolf, but it was only a matter of whatever she could do. Even if she acted as a distraction, Redansia could deal greater blows!
"Are you really fine with telling me all of this?"
"Are you my enemy? Will you use it against me? Besides, what guarantees I'm telling the truth? And if you're going to stay, can you stop rushing in? I fear you might be crushed..."
She tilted her head in deference, her eyebrow twitching in annoyance.
I can fight too, can't I? Can I enlist Aramis's help like before? When I was knocked unconscious by the attackers, I'm sure she fought in my stead... although, that seemed a little more… instinctual…
Coriel extended her prosthesis outwards, willing the blue wisp within to shimmer and shake, causing a wave of sapphire light to bathe the area around them.
This is how it was done, wasn't it? It feels a little different through the prosthesis...
A shock wave suddenly erupted outwards around her, causing the beast to look over in her direction.
Coriel shivered, looking into its eyes. She was enthralled by that sudden urge once more. She could only watch as the beast lunged at her, running away from Redansia, who followed its movements adamantly, unable to stop it from lurching at her.
One second, it jumped.
The next, it was right in front of her, swinging its claw towards her.
No, it wasn't the case that she could employ Aramis's help. It was just a Spirit, or perhaps it wasn't even that. Maybe it was just a voice in her head, perhaps she herself had gone insane.
She was sure that she would die. How was she this mistaken? Of course she couldn't do such a thing. She had never formed a Spirit Contract!
She should have just continued to be a distraction, why had she gotten caught up in the situation like it was a grand performance?
She was just crazy.
Then, a large figure extended her torso over Coriel's head, a massive brightly-glowing greatsword held outwards to block the black wolf's strike. Aqueous light shimmered over its surface, like a pool of water gathered into a corporeal form.
The wolf had caught the blade between its claws, its strange snarled snout curling up. It was almost like it… was trying to mimic a smile.
But Coriel paid it no mind. How could she? The appearance of the Spirit was far more shocking!
This is… an Echo!
This was a possibility?
As a soldier in the Oasis King's army, she had formed her own Spirit Contract, one that allowed her to summon a copy, a perception of herself to fight alongside her. This pale blue visage bore her past looks, dressed in soldiers attire, wielding a large greatsword.
But this was a Spirit Contract she had enacted in her past life…
Was it possible that it could transcend her reincarnation, following her this entire time?
Then that meant…
…was Aramis an 'Echo'?
Coriel's face paled. She suddenly felt embarrassed.
Is it possible that I was this tall in my past life and never realised? I was a giant… how embarrassing!
She no longer felt afraid, her confidence causing her to act foolish in the midst of battle.
If it really was an Echo, there was no way she would be in danger, even if the beast in front of her was strange, terrifying, and abnormal.
This Spirit Contract was what had made her a prime soldier in the Oasis King's army.
She glanced over towards Redansia, eager to gage his reaction to the appearance of Warrior, but he was nowhere to be seen. It must have been the case that he was 'preparing' for his next attack. Then, that meant it was her turn to act!
It would feel strange calling you Aramis… after all these years, you need a new name, don't you?
As if sensing her thoughts, the summon's eyes glimmered with curiosity, glancing down at her as she continued to wrestle with the black wolf.
I'll call you 'Warrior'. After all, isn't this what we were?
Fight for me, fight with me, Warrior!
The Warrior raised her left hand, grasping the hilt of her massive greatsword as she pushed forward, she suddenly seemed far more determined. Blood poured downwards onto Coriel, the beast crying out as it defied Warrior's aggression.
Then, in a single fell swoop, the black wolf's head fell ceremoniously to the ground, crashing into the mud below. Blood sprayed out in all directions, soaking Coriel and the Echo of Warrior as they watched its body topple to the floor soon after. Standing atop it, his boots digging into the tough flesh, Redansia glared down at Coriel with a hint of surprise in his eyes.
"So you too were hiding such a secret, weren't you?" He teased her slightly, grinning. He quickly struck down on the black wolf's corpse, dragging it along the surface as he slid down its side, cutting a deep gash into the meat.
Of course, his initial purpose in traversing the forest had been to hunt. While black wolf meat wasn't prime for consumption, particularly due to its strange taste, Balasque was skilled in his preparation of food. He could definitely make it edible… to an extent.
"Ah, I suppose… sorry."
She truly wasn't aware she could still do such a thing... after all, it wasn't like she had ever thought to check whether or not the Spirit resting inside her prosthesis was the one she had Contracted with in her previous life. She thought such a thing was impossible.
Even more than that, she had already decided to live a life of peace. She had no need to fight against people, so why would she bother to check whether or not her Spirit Contract that excelled in combat was still active?
Coriel let out a sharp exhale, feeling exhaustion seep into her entire body. Her arm could no longer support even the weight of the small knife, and her prosthesis fell at her side, the Echo of Warrior dissipating into nothingness as the small blue wisp returned to its place in its metal interior.
"It's alright, I'm sure there are many others who don't have a license for such a Contract, yet have gained one anyway. Isn't power like this enticing?" He chuckled.
Coriel nodded her head sheepishly.
Soon after Redansia had finished cutting up and bundling portions of the wolf's best cuts of meat, leaving the rest of the corpse for scavengers, they abandoned the body and made their way to the edge of the forest, carrying the bundled meat on their backs.
They stepped out into the clearing by the river, the gathering troupe members immediately taking notice of their appearance. They had been watching out for bandits on the road, so how couldn't they?
Their eyes glimmered with surprise, almost fearful.
After all, the two had been soaked head to toe in blood.
They all gathered around the two, expressing their worry, Caramine most of all.
But it was over, there was nothing to worry about any longer.
Redansia's Hunt had concluded.