217

Chapter 217 : Run-In (2)

Despite the festivities Agni’s mind was in disarray. Her thoughts kept bouncing between various events. Most prevalent among these were death and the events leading up to Michelle’s death. It felt like forces were working overtime, which gave her a deep sense of foreboding. Especially when she considered the snatcher’s last words.

“Watch the company you keep. Otherwise you may end up on someone’s leash.”

*What did that even mean?* Due to her strong dislike of the man for his actions against herself and Katrin she wanted to dismiss his obtuse warning. And yet she couldn’t bring herself to do so. She’d rejoined the rest of her companions by some minutes now, thus she glanced around from face to face. The group was currently busy moving from stall to stall, talking amongst themselves or drinking. Everyone had a smile on their face, save for Katrin.

“Huh? Where’s Katrin?” Agni asked, her mind racing.

“Oh? Now you care?” Shula said with a shrug.

“Chasing butterflies. Like you she doesn’t TELL PEOPLE WHERE SHE’S GOING.” Shula was aggravated, but not for the reason one might think. She wasn’t upset that Agni and Katrin left her behind, but rather that they were keeping secrets. She felt left out, and this couldn’t be more true since the mysterious encounter in the alleyway.

“Nothing. It’s nothing important.”

These were the words offered to Shula when she finally caught up with Agni. She could always find the succubus easily due to the living item embedded in her choker. This orb was Shula’s “home”, her link to Agni in physical form. She could return to it at any time, though Shula rarely did so unless it suited her in the moment. Likewise, because of this bond she could also tell where Agni was, as well as what she was thinking.

Usually. In times like this Shula was reminded of her master-servant relationship with the succubus. Agni had never closed her mind or protected her thoughts from Shula before. In fact, Shula was beginning to think it was impossible for Agni to do so . Shula on the other hand had been concealing secrets, thoughts and emotions on a whim for quite some time. At first she did it because she felt like it, but as time went on Shula began to wonder--

*Can she even tell I’m keeping secrets from her? Or does she just not care?*

In a way Shula felt childish for caring about something like this, and like most of her root emotions it manifested in a sharp tongue and exaggerated reactions. Despite the fact that she kept many secrets of her own, she was beginning to hate the fact that Agni could do the same. And no matter how hard Shula pried to penetrate the succubus’ thoughts, Agni seemed oblivious. As if Shula’s considerable efforts didn’t even matter.

“Ugh.” Shula said finally as she began to bite her lip. Despite her jab Agni hadn’t even looked in her direction. Instead the succubus began to move through the crowd, it seemed as if she was about to head off on her own again when Katrin appeared.

“Katrin--” Agni began, but Katrin’s expression gave Agni pause. She looked as if she was lost deeply in thought. The original question of, “Are you okay?” shifted to “Is something wrong?”

“No. Yes. We should talk about it later when there aren’t so many ears.” Katrin said, offering her best attempt at a warm-hearted smile. This was no doubt to diffuse Agni’s suspicions, but it served to do the exact opposite -- put her on edge.

“I’m fine. Really, I just had a strange run-in with someone we both know.” Katrin added. It never occurred to Agni that the snatchers might have reached out to Katrin as well. Her blood ran cold, realizing for the first time that if the group truly wanted to take them, it very may well have worked.

This opened Agni’s mind to a whole new set of questions. Why didn’t they attempt to kidnap them? She was sure the man had his reasons. She thought back to his burst of emotion, it seemed too genuine to be a facade. Was he truly a victim in the situation, as he’d implied with his magic?

Katrin also seemed to be lost in thought, which made Agni ponder what happened even moreso. She decided to respect Katrin’s wishes and not press the issue in the end, because she planned on discussing her encounter with the Scribe as soon as possible. She also needed to have a chat with her Doyenne about the evening’s events.

“Really? So neither of you are going to tell me what’s going on? Fine.” Shula said, her whip-like tail flitting furiously from side to side. She was obviously angry, but she also erred on the side of wisdom, refusing to press the issue.

Eventually the Skill Shop came to a close. In the end the Memento Mori chapel was the talk of the town, acquiring more new recruits than any chapel in known history at such an event. Although Vivian Lex was thoroughly annoyed by this fact, she also counted her blessings. During the Skill Shop portion of the Twilight Festival she managed to acquire three new members, one of which was a rank two adventurer.

The rest of the gathering was uneventful while the walk home was anything but. Agni, Katrin, Gigi, Gates ,Merri , Ariadna, Vivian, Oliver and the new recruits were making their way back to the chapel when a minor incident occurred.

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The sounds of heavy breaths filled the air as a young woman dashed through the vacant streets of Grenvale. Her breathing was out of place with the atmosphere of merriment in the distance. She tugged at the hood concealing her face as she ran, listening for the sound of footsteps in the distance. There were several, and her heart was beginning to drown out the sound of her breathing. It was the sudden sense of alarm that overtook her.

*T-they’re gaining. What should I do?* She thought inwardly. She paused briefly, glancing around for a safe haven. She then took notice of a group of people not far away, they numbered nearly a dozen. Her heart skipped a beat as she took off towards them at top speed.

“H-hey? What the fuck?” Shula nearly shouted as a hooded figure bumped into her. This was enough to draw everyone else's attention as well. Beneath the fabric of the hood was a young woman with a decidedly unusual appearance.

“Is that a ..Slimeoid?” Gigi asked as she focused on the young woman. It was Agni’s first time seeing one in person as well, she couldn’t help but stare. The young woman had bluish skin, lavender colored eyes and dark blue hair, navy in color. What struck Agni the most about her appearance was the young woman’s expression. Her eyes were pleading, wet with the making of tears at their corners.

“Help me. Please! S-someone’s following me.” She said, her voice barely audible above a whisper. The Slimeoid gripped onto the nearest person who happened to be Katrin.

Agni’s eyes darted outwards towards the direction the young woman had just come from. She just managed to catch a glimpse of several figures attempting to hide themselves in the shadows. She just caught a glimpse of the girl’s pursuers and what they were wearing. Tattered cloaks with hoods that concealed their face, snatchers.

Agni gritted her teeth and stepped forward as she prepared to order the people out of the shadows but Oliver Pagnal held up a hand to halt her advance. Vivian Lex then stepped forward, her eyes glowing with yellow energy.

“I would recommend you turn around and not look back.” Vivian said. Almost immediately Agni could feel her stomach drop, as if she’d been confronted with a direct threat. The pressure from Vivian’s combined magic and malice affected everyone nearby to some degree, but especially those in the location that she directed it.

The sound of footsteps and scurrying followed as pursuers in the distance began to make haste.

“You. I know you’re still there.” Vivian said, her gaze still ablaze.

“I-I’m not with them!” A woman’s voice replied.

“I was trying to get away too. I..I can’t move. Please.. Stop.” The woman pleaded as she stumbled from behind a crate no more than six meters away. She looked to be sweating profusely. This was largely because Vivian’s once dispersed intimidation was now trained solely on the young woman.

“Hmm.” Vivian replied, lingering for a moment longer before she released her intimidation tactics. The young woman breathed a sigh of relief and also removed her own hood, revealing the face of another young woman.

“Thank you.” The pale skinned, red-eyed young woman said as she bowed her head in appreciation.