Chapter 409: Friend or foe

Chapter 409: Friend or foe

Sofia ran through the flowery field of blue grass, slaloming between the rising drones, she stopped where she had seen the light, a spot near a few of the rare trees dotting the meadows grassy landscape.

Nothing out of the ordinary here

Sofia switched between her layers of vision, but both her mana senses and her eyes heat vision failed to find anything that stood out. The plants growing near the three trees here were a bit strange, but so was everything else on that planet. Even the way the planets blue grass swayed despite the lack of wind was a bit eerie, slightly reminding Sofia of the ebb.

Maybe it was just a weird plant producing some light for an instant?

Sofia kept looking around, but found nothing, she was going to let the matter rest and leave, when she finally saw something.

Behind one of the trees, the air looked weird. Slightly contorted. It was faint but she clearly noticed it, and as she looked straight at it, it stopped. Strangely, she felt like she didnt really see what she thought she saw. It was like that weird vision had been superimposed over reality.

Pareth felt the need to come out. He stood near Sofia, ready.

It took Sofia a second, but she understood where that feeling came from.

The eye.

Visual anomaly spotter

Something is here.

Something invisible.

And its not emitting any mana or heat.

Still, Sofia placed her hand on Pareths leg bones.

I think were safe, so far. Whatever that thing is, the title doesnt recognise it as an enemy. So its not hostile. And It is hiding; from us.

Pareth nodded slowly, slightly relaxing his posture but standing his ground.

Sofia took a step to the side, and for a fraction of a second, she saw the anomaly again, behind the same tree, until it quickly disappeared.

One more step, one more glimpse at the thing behind the tree.

It was like a kid trying to escape another one by running around a table, using that obstacle to stay just out of reach.

Is someone here? I saw something behind the tree. Im not looking for trouble but if there are invisible things around me then I am in danger. I need to know whats happening. Are you friendly? Or are you a danger?

Sofia spoke, looking at the tree.

No answer.

She looked at Pareth. Dispel the weapon.

Sofia stored her scepter and Pareth dispelled his sword. They could bring them back in an instant if needed, but Sofia felt that if she said she wasnt looking for trouble, then lowering her weapons was the least she could do to prove her good faith. Assuming whatever she was facing could understand. But to hide behind a tree like this, reacting to how she moved, Sofia couldnt help but feel that it felt decidedly human.

There were a few more moments of silence as Sofia stared at the tree, then, slowly, the weird visual anomaly emerged from its cover, bit by bit. Sofia closed her right eye, which could not perceive it at all, giving her a better view of the thing.

The thing behind the tree was clearly vaguely humanoid. Not more than a shade also fits that description, perhaps, but humanoid still. Clearly, its arm was hugging the tree, as if scared to lose its protection, while the things head poked out of cover, looking back at the observer. Still to Sofia, it only looked like disturbed air, like the shifting of light above the desert on a hot day, but contained within a vaguely human-looking boundary.

Another type of Sunless?

It was hard to tell what exactly pushed the creature to actually reveal itself, but its true form slowly manifested itself for Sofia to see.

It was indeed a vaguely humanoid thing. Unlike anything Sofia had ever seen before. It was entirely gray, its skin was made of nothing but flat planes and sharp angles, like crumpled paper, and it sported long conical limbs ending in a point. It had a somewhat oval head, gray and faceted like everything else, with no apparent face or other feature Sofia could focus on, a rather elongated torso with long conical legs and four conical arms. While everything about it was so unfamiliar, it moved like a person.

Sofia was entirely too good at reading body language, after all, it was her skeletons had to communicate, so she could tell; that thing was scared. It was frightened by her, but also hopeful.

But also about not getting yours stolen.

Slowly, the creatures head peeked out from behind the tree again, still emitting waves of yellow color spreading through its being, slowly turning back to a calmer blue.

Its like its communicating emotions through colors. Blue is tense or inquisitive, fearful, and yellow is surprised, troubled.

Sofia focused on her least used ability from VPPV, the newly acquired light beautification thing as she had dubbed it, and used it to copy the creatures waves of light as well as she could. It was not very clean or uniform, but a wave of calm blue light flowed over her.

The creature was startled again, taken aback, another wave of yellow running across its body, it completely stepped out from behind the tree. The yellow then transitioned into a green.

Green?

If youre standing still, how am I supposed to understand what that means?

Well I dont know what Im doing but

Sofia copied the green hue, projecting it around herself, the color a bit off, but close enough.

The creature took an hesitant step forward, the tips of its strange conical legs with no feet hovering ever-so-slightly above the ground despite no evident use of mana at all.

Its green hue morphed, shifted as it took more steps forward until it stood just a few meters away from Sofia, its color the same as hers, pulsating in harmony.

This Is good? Maybe?

Sofia found it hard to focus on the next step to take, as maintaining the light show in a way she wasnt used to was actually quite complex.

I have to break this standstill, somehow But I dont know what the colors means

How do you communicate with someone like this?

[Title changed to Cheater]

[Title change function is locked for the next 24 hours]

[Sprite dancer - Lv.228 - Imprint power : 10 - Effect : ???]

Spirit dancer

Wait, no, Sprite!

The creature was thrown off by the identify mana surging at it once again, its green color wavering. It switched back to blue as Sofia raised her right hand to her chest, and the creature took a step back.

Calling onto her magic, Sofia used the skill she had learned from Shaily.

[Call Elemental sprite]

A small black sprite gradually formed within Sofias palm, once fully there, it came alive, slowly flying up, hovering between the two people.

A shadow sprite.

The creatures featureless head followed the sprite as it flew up. The waves of color on its strange angular skin shifted from green to a dark black similar to the sprites. The creatures four conical arms rose and their tips came together in front of it. The waves of color coursed through its arms and gathered at the tips, until they all detached and collided together with a crackle and electric sparks.

A second shadow sprite was born.

Woah.

The small black sprite flew up, it circled Sofias and Sofias circled it.

The creatures skin shone green again, three of its arms went back down, but the last one was now pointed at Sofia. The creature stepped forward. With a slow and careful approach, under pareths watchful glare, it brought the tip of its strange arm to Sofias Dragon-armor-covered fingertips.