Chapter 194: Accusation

Chapter 194: Accusation

Elara trudged through the fading mists, another puppet draped over her shoulder. She didnt recognize this one. Then again, it wasnt like she had known everyone in Verdant Grove, and the struggles that had come post-Collapse had made some people hard to recognize anyway. Emaciation tended to do that; like many of the others, they were distressingly light. Lighter than they should have been. The puppet twitched, trying to free itself again. Overlong nails awkwardly scraped at her well-defended side in a futile rebellion, while teeth came down and -

Crack.

She winced, the reaction hidden behind her new helmet.

At least its only a tooth this time.

Some of the puppets broke their bones, instead, before she had stumbled upon the idea of makeshift bindings to remove most of that risk. Once they stopped trying to kill her, some of the living roots that inhabited the area had turned out to be useful.

Shed have gone for some sort of gag, too, but there was always the risk that the puppets would choke on one. Elara didnt trust them to react properly to that. Not before their strings were cut.

It would be fine. A broken tooth wouldnt kill anyone. More importantly, it wouldnt be enough to stymie their path to freedom overmuch. The broken limbs, on the other hand, sometimes did. The [Little Guardians Totem] couldnt cut their strings quite as fast if they were injured. And with only one at hand for an upsetting number of victims, that was important. The process was slower than shed like.

At least the tremors, way out in the distance, had finally stopped. Elara hoped that was a good sign. If it wasnt

She wiped away the anxiety with a careful pull of her strings. There was no time for it, and it wouldnt help her here. They would be fine, and someone had to stay behind. A few of the crippled puppets had been in a bad place by the time she managed to return.

The judicious application of crippling tended to do that.

Elara continued to walk, her thoughts turning toward something more cheerful - like her newfound armor. It was surprisingly well-fitted for armor made for someone else, with only a bit of a gap here and there that Elara easily filled with some strategic padding. Its former owner was more muscular than she was, though that was something that Elara had already begun to fix. It couldnt be done right away; as powerful as her bodily control was, there were limits. Still, she had enough control to at least begin the process, able to pull at strings here and there to cause her muscles to begin slowly growing.

Really, she should have been doing that already. Only starting the process now was forcing her to toe the line between strength and weakness; the energy for her body to use had to come from somewhere, and it had been a while since she had last eaten anything. If Elara wasnt clamping down on the response, her stomach would have been rumbling with embarrassing volume.

Though being able to momentarily shift into a shadow-state, courtesy of her newly acquired armor, had certainly helped.

Elara reached over, pulling the former puppet to her feet and recovering the [Little Guardians Totem]. The womans armor, a combination of unidentified monster leather, silk, and metal, clinked and creaked as she stood. Unfortunately, her spear had been left behind. It couldnt be sheathed like a sword, and Elara only had so many hands.

I cant thank you enough for this. Being trapped in my own body, it was she paused, shuddering.

I know, Elara said, beating back her bodys own natural response to the memory. Nobody could deserve something like that.

Suddenly, the womans eyes widened.

Is it guilt, then? a voice called, filled with anger. The man with the glare, Elara realized. A multitude of hands wrapped around her, each finding hold on a different part of her armor. A dagger found its way to her throat - or it would have, if she hadnt been ensconced in full-body armor. Still, the message was clear.

Even clearer was the fact that it wouldnt be enough. Not the hands holding her, nor the dagger at her throat. With a thought, the black gem set into the armors center pulsed; Elara began to phase out of reality, shifting into ethereal shadow.

Pity? he continued. Where was your guilt before? Where was your pity before?

She stopped short, wanting to see what he would say. Elara wasnt in any real danger; the moment that it seemed like she would be, she could shift into shadow and break free - but if she did that, it was unlikely that theyd continue to talk. If she was free, they would fight.

And she needed to know what was happening. Tilting her head, she could see that the man had somehow turned members of the Guard against her in her absence. That shouldnt have been possible. Not after she had saved them. Not without a convincing reason.

So, instead, she stayed. She spoke. She questioned.

The answers would come.