After the shocking revelation about the cruel futility of their long and arduous journey to the Dark City, the desire to reach the promised castle that kept the five of them going for so long had diminished significantly. However, they still wanted to get there as soon as possible.
But Effie wasn't in a rush to leave the granite tower.
"There's not enough daylight left to traverse that much distance. Moving through the ruins is a slow ordeal. Get comfortable and rest. We'll leave tomorrow at dawn."
After that, she got busy dressing down the monster carcasses with a long knife that appeared in her hand. She even summoned a Memory that looked like a leather apron to avoid getting blood on her tunic. Whistling an upbeat melody under her nose, the vigorous young woman looked like an enthusiastic gourmet chef.
Nephis, Sunny, Cassie, Shashi and Levi were in no mood to talk. Each of them sat somberly by themselves, trying to digest the awful reality of their new situation.
Levi was staring at the ceiling as he sat on the ground , his back against the wall. He was feeling disheartened , after all their efforts to get here were proven to be useless.
'How.. convenient.'
They had finished their long expedition , however now they had another expedition to finish... However it was not clear what their destination and goal would be this time.
For now , they needed to stay alive. Their situation was horrible , however it had also improved a lot. They were safe from the dark sea , and they had found a strong community of humans.
Not that Levi would trust anyone other than his cohort...
He did not want to submit to a master. Even if he did not have his team , he would have chosen to stay in the outskirts. And life on the outer settlement did not seem horrible , Effie.. seemed quiet content with her life here.
'A bit too comfortable..' He thought as he looked at her being carefree.
As Levi was thinking about what was going to come next , suddenly he felt Shashi sit next to him. As he turned to look at her , he saw that the vampiric woman was doing a bit better. Maybe that shock helped her heal faster , although he did not know how that would even work.. His thoughts were cut off as Shashi held out her hand.
Levi stared at her , not understanding what she wanted.
"What..?"
"Give me your wrist." She said coldly.
'That.. sounds more like an order rather than a request..'
Well , he somehow understood her or he thought he did. She was pretty frustrated. He hesitantly lent her his arm as she immediately grabbed on his arm and pulled his wrist closer to her mouth and she bit down hard.
Levi winced as her teeth sank into his flesh and started drawing blood , however she paid him no mind as she closed her eyes and drank his blood greedily.
After she got her fill of blood , wiping out the blood on his wrist with her leather armor's glove. Afterwards she let go of his arm and Levi retracted it to his side. They sat in silence for a few seconds , then Shashi spoke up:
"What do you think?"
Levi looked at her with a side-long glance. In all honesty , he did not know what to make of this situation.
"We will find a way , I am sure of it. After all.. we are not normal."
He gave her a smile , albeit his smile quiet didn't reach his ears. Shashi scoffed at his smile and turned her gaze forward , too tired to keep up a conversation.
***
In the morning, they set out for the castle.
Before leaving the safe haven of the granite tower, Effie gave them a list of instructions:
"Follow behind me. Listen to everything I say. Don't make any noise. Don't bleed. Don't think too much. Some of the creatures out there can hear noisy thoughts, others can sense strong emotions. So don't feel fear, either."
Well , Levi simply hoped that those monsters did not feel the vast amount of hatred inside his heart. Actually , Levi never really felt it either , he was only worried because the spell always mentioned his hatred. He only felt it when he used his augmentation , was the augmentation a key to unlock his hatred..? If he unlocked his full hatred , maybe he could utilize his dormant ability to full extent.
Of course , these were all just speculations. He had seen that the spread of corrosion ability got faster depending on amount of hatred he unleashed. However his mind was slowly growing hazy at that time. He thought that he shouldn't let loose often.
His thoughts were cut once Effie continued talking , she was talking to Sunny..
The vigorous huntress grinned.
"What? You never tried to solve math equations in your head to impress a lovely lady? Just do the same."
As Sunny's cheeks began to turn bright red, she giggled and turned to us- Shashi, Levi, Nephis, Cassie:
"Correction. The two of you, try not to feel fear. Doofus, you try not to get too excited. If walking behind me turns out to be too much, ask to get slapped, alright?"
Sunny scowled and uttered through gritted teeth:
"That ... won't be a problem."
Effie blinked a couple of times, then smiled.
"Ah! Playing for the other team? I see, I see..."
Levi put a hand over his mouth as a laughter threatened to break out , he let out small chuckles. Hearing him , Sunny turned to him and shot him a glare , his cheeks had gotten somewhat pinkish. Levi grinned:
"Good choice , Sunny.."
Sunny scoffed as he turned away from him.
Making sure that they understood her instructions, the huntress turned around and rolled the massive slab of granite that blocked the exit from the tower to the side. Lean muscles tensed and moved under her olive skin, making for a picturesque view.
Levi noticed that Sunny stared at her back..
'What a pervert..' He smiled.
Catching a glimpse of Sunny's stare, Effie raised an eyebrow and winked.
"Like what you see?"
He answered on autopilot:
"Yes ... huh ... wait, no! I mean, that's not why I was looking. How are you that strong?"
She glanced at the granite slab, then at him.
"Oh, that. That's my Aspect Ability. It's a strong all-around physical enhancement."
Levi looked at Effie as she talked , it seemed she had a useful aspect ability. While not flashy , it was very useful. Plus, she had most likely absorbed a very large amount of soul essence over the years of hunting monsters in the Dark City. All those shards the recalcitrant huntress refused to pay as tribute to the tyrannical lord of the castle had to go somewhere.
Sunny looked surprised that she had revealed her aspect ability so easily , noticing this Effie grinned.
"What? It's not like it's a great mystery. Around here, anyone with a pair of eyes knows what my Ability can do. Do you want me to tell you what my Flaw is as well?"
There was a mischievous glint in her eyes.
"It's very simple! My Aspect not only enhances all my physical attributes, it also does the same with all my physical needs. Why do you think I ate enough meat to create a literal pile of gnawed bones, for the fun of it?"
She laughed and shook her head.
"Well, it was fun, not gonna lie..."
Sunny thought, a little confused. "Air, then water and food, then ... uh ... huh?"
"Hey! I said not to get excited!"
Sunny flinched and looked up at Effie, who was staring at him and cackling. Embarrassed, he gritted his teeth in anger.
Levi observed the others , the girls seemed to be amused as they observed the situation.. Maybe Effie was trying to lighten up the tense mood around them by teasing Sunny.
Well not that Levi would let Effie seriously hit on Sunny , after all Sunny already had someone else Levi had deemed worthy for him.
He glanced at Changing Star for a second then turned his attention towards Sunny and Effie.
Effie grinned at Sunny.
"What? No answer?"
Sunny glared at her and said:
"Don't distract me."
Then Sunny reluctantly added.
"l'm solving equations ... "
Levi could not keep his laughter this time as he laughed out loud at Sunny's words.
***
A minute later, they left the granite tower and stepped onto the streets of the Dark City.
Effie had summoned the helmet of her archaic armor before venturing forth. It was of the Corinthian design, with a tall crest of blue horsehair and a narrow visor that left only her eyes and lips exposed.
On her back, there was a leather bag containing the meat, bones, and hides of the monsters she had slain during the hunt. Levi knew for a fact that this bag was much larger on the inside than it seemed from the outside - otherwise, in order to accommodate all of Effie's trophies, it would have had to be comically big. However, it still weighed way too much for an ordinary person to carry.
Including the armor, the long knife, and the black leather apron, it was the fourth Memory he had seen the huntress summon. He wondered how many more did she have in her arsenal.
He had yet to see what weapons Effie used.
In the ghostly light of early dawn, they entered the cursed ruins.