4-76 The undying fox

4-76 The undying fox

Nivia could barely hold her scream back. She sucked her grief back and swallowed it. Now was no time for her to be mourning, or there was even a need for it at all. She steeled her nerves, ceased her sobbing, and trained her bow at Ovir.

“Well, this is awkward...”

“Shut your trap...” Nivia growled.

“Put down your bow.”

Instead of lowering her bow, Nivia pulled on the string. “Do you have any idea what you have done?”

Ovir shrugged. “I killed your dear friend?”

“Do you not know the consequence of murdering a Fae? Have you not heard about what would transpire?”

“I know of it and I have heard about those stories multiple times.”

“Those aren’t stories. They are facts. You have just damned this whole valley and yourself. Do you not realise that?”

Ovir snorted. “I never bought into those hogwashes. How many Fae do you think have been murdered in cold blood? And what became of their murderers or the lands where they breathed their last? Nothing happened. Your friend here ain’t the first Fae I have killed but she was the first Fox-kin.”

Nivia’s anger rose and she clenched her fingers on the string tighter.

“Besides, even if it was true, I’ll do it over and over again even if I’m given another chance. For the amount of gold on her head, I doubt anyone would care about the superstition.”

“Despicable,” Nivia snarled.

“Well, I do want to live a long life. You won’t live long if you’re not despicable.”

“Because of people like you.”

Ovir rolled his eyes. “Think what you will. My work here is done. Now, if you will excuse me, I need your friend’s head as proof of—”

“Don’t you dare touch her body!” Nivia shouted and released the arrow.

Ovir sneered and slanted his head to the side, dodging Nivia’s arrow.

“Get away from her body!” Nivia quickly nocked another arrow and aimed at Ovir’s head.

Ovir smirked and ambled towards Nivia, stepping over Erin’s bisected corpse.

Nivia backed away a few steps with a glare that was treading between fear and rage.

“Be at ease, would you?”

“Why should I?”

“I’m not going to hurt you.”

“And I’m supposed to believe you?”

“The bounty is only for the Fox-kin. There’s no... reward of any sort for your head. Killing you would be... a waste. Your beauty would be wasted on death. I’ll forgive you for this cut you gave me.” Ovir pointed at his waist. “Well, it’s just a shallow cut anyway.”

“Trivial flattery will get you nowhere, certainly not my clemency.”

“I don’t need your clemency, Elf. It's you who needs mine but fortunately you, I have a proposal.”

“Decline.”

“I haven’t even—”

“Go fuck yourself with a cactus.”

Ovir feigned a shudder. “How surprisingly uncouth for an Elf.” He then chuckled. “I don’t dislike it. Same as how I don’t dislike your incredibly modest bosom. Simply a delight for my eyes.”

Nivia released the string from her fingers and sent the arrow streaking towards Ovir.

As could be expected, Ovir effortlessly cut the arrow down. “Become my woman and I shall share the bounty with you and more.”

“You’re delusional.”

“Hell, I’ll even let your Augur friend live.”

“I doubt that.”

“Why would you doubt that? I am many things but being a liar is not one of them.”

“I’m not calling you a liar. You’re just... unaware.”

“Unaware? Unaware of wh—grh!” Ovir choked on his own words as he felt a swift movement behind him. He realised it all too late and he knew then there was no way for him to dodge it. He could still use Warp but due to his mental exhaustion, he could use it as immediately as before.

A blade, wrapped in a thin veil of a violet glow, pierce through his heart from behind.

“Unaware of me,” Erin answered.

Ovir turned his gaze behind with much strain, glancing over his shoulder. “H-how?” What he saw was Erin, in one piece, when she should have been in two and dead on the ground.

“A gift from a goddess, one can say,” she retorted and pulled her blade out from his body.

Ovir clutched at the hole in his chest that was bleeding profusely. Though he barely had any time left, he spent it all on turning his body around to get at least a good glance at his killer. “Preposterous... A divine apostle... y-you, a Fae?”

“Your belief matters to me not. Just be glad that your suffering isn’t prolonged as I have contrarily wished for you.”

Ovir gave Erin one final snort of derision before falling lifelessly face-first to the ground.

[Experience gained +10% - Level Progression: 70%]

“Only ten percent? No, this is to be expected. All four of us here had some contribution in this fight.”

“E-Erin...” Aera gasped. “You’re alive!”

“Revenant, remember? Did I not tell you about that ability?”

“Y-you have but...” Aera’s voice trailed off as the violet flames enveloping her gradually receded. “But seeing you die and come back to life with my own eyes is a whole other impression.”

“Well, I’m alive. That’s all that counts...” Erin smiled, her hands rubbing the spot where she was cut apart. “If only that’s truly all that counts...”

“Only in death does he learn to keep his mouth shut,” Amyra said. “He never shut up, you know. For the whole time he waited for your arrival, he blabbered without stop.”

“Are you hurt anywhere?” Erin asked.

“Only my head.”

“He didn’t hurt you?”

“He can’t. The chains holding me dulls not just my magic but also those around it. I was essentially impervious to magic, ironically. Without the Spatial Magic he held so much pride in, his flimsy blade could not cut through my skin. Augurs’ skins are naturally and incredibly tough. He thought about punching me but fortunately for him, he had a working brain and he managed not to make a fool of himself.”

Erin sighed with a smile. “You’re fine and woundless. That’s all I need to know.”

“Well, we best get going— speaking of which, any of us here know how to get out of this place?”

Erin looked around and she saw no path leading to an egress. “There must be a concealed pathway, hidden from plain sight.”

“Allow me,” Nivia said and cast a Wing Magic spell on the whole room. “There,” Nivia pointed to one side of the room not long after she cast the spell.

Amyra strode up to where Nivia pointed and thrust her foot into the wall. The air didn’t ripple but the ground did as the wall exploded. A hole was made with that single kick from the Augur. A dark passageway was revealed but the darkness did not span forever. Lights could be seen at the end of the passageway.

“Any traps?” Amyra asked.

“No,” Nivia answered. “As far as I can tell, there’s no hidden deadly contraptions, though it will be a different story if it’s a spell trap.”

Amyra turned her gaze to Erin. “Any spell traps?”

“Yes, there’s one but... I don’t believe it can be triggered just by simply stepping on it.”

“What kind of spell?”

“Sleep.”

“Sleep? Hmm, curious. I expected a spell like Explosion or Earth Split. Whoever set this place up had no intention of destroying it even if things went awry. What to make of that?”

“...We are underneath a place of significant importance,” Erin said. “We may meet strong resistance once we reach the surface.”

“Good.” Amyra cracked her knuckles and stretched her neck. “If I can’t find my sword above, then the resistance awaiting us will do nicely for me to diffuse my anger and frustrations.”