Chapter 867: Gateway To...
Pov Nix:
I was going with Layla to the Fairy Temple, the one who was guiding us was a Fairy Priest, the Religion of Fairies or Spirits is different from other religions in many ways.
We only have Priests who have a strong connection with our races, maybe even some descendants, above the Priests are the Fairy Kings or Spirit Kings, who I suppose are the ones who called us.
I look at the Priest who called us, he has white hair and wise eyes, but he maintains the appearance of someone in his late 28s or 30s.
"Are they still following us?" (I)
"Don't worry young lady, they won't approach, but I'm surprised you noticed them." (Priest)
"I didn't notice, but I knew they wouldn't pass up an opportunity if we left town." (I)
"I wouldn't be able to..." (Layla)
"No way." (I)
"You didn't even know what I was going to say, how come you're already denying it?" (Layla)
"I imagine there would be something idiotic about luring them into an ambush, ridiculing their efforts or going for an attack that was sure to be suicide." (I)
"..." (Laila)
"I was just going to ask if it's possible..." (Layla)
"I will intervene if they attack, but I will not start an attack against them." (Priest)
"Okay, don't listen to that crazy faerie, she's easily inclined to violence." (I)
The Priest guides us out of the city, but as soon as we arrive in the forest I can feel the element of space interacting with our surroundings as if it were shortening a distance that should be greater, with that our walk of few minutes since we entered the forest has left us in an amazing place.
It was an open field with trees, and flowers, there was a river with crystal clear water and the big tree, this one wasn't a World Tree but it was still special somehow.
Even though I don't have much Affinity with the space element, I still managed to perceive the interference of this element along the way since I am also a living Dungeon, as such I can feel certain aspects of space that others may not notice even without this elemental Affinity.
She dragged me back to the mansion at a run, I wanted to resist but I was too tired for that.
When I arrived at the mansion she went straight to the kitchen where she started to eat like a wild animal, I took advantage of this time to recover with that barrel of blood.
"Why did you have to attack me like that?" (I)
"I thought it was obvious, I wanted to get to know you better, little brother." (Natasha)
After she finished eating, she walked to the living room where she laid down on a couch with a bottle of beer she got in the kitchen, I take the opportunity to question her about everything that happened.
"How can hitting me like that..." (I)
"I learned a lot from you, I learned more than from a conversation, during combat you cannot hide your true self, each person's way of fighting is unique." (Natasha)
"Even though I started by attacking you by surprise, you didn't get desperate and think of a plan to trick me into the next attack." (Natasha)
"You were also always looking for opportunities during combat, when opportunities didn't come up you created opportunities." (Natasha)
"It shows a cunning mind." (Natasha)
"Your every attack was ready to become a defense or an evasion if necessary, every defense was a trap for me, every evasion was a chance for a counterattack, and you didn't let yourself fall into any kind of pattern." (Natasha)
"You also used your surroundings very well throughout combat." (Natasha)
"It shows that you are open-minded and extremely adaptable." (Natasha)
"Even after hours without managing to land any critical hits against me, you avoided using too much of your skills knowing that if you ran out of energy first you would lose, after all, you were weakened." (Natasha)
"It shows an incredible calm, something that is usually difficult to maintain after hours of combat." (Natasha)
"But mostly I realized that you have a strong will, as more time passed I got more of an advantage as I got used to my current power and this new body." (Natasha)
"But no matter your disadvantage, your eyes never lost their edge, you never acted in fear or doubt, you were always analyzing me, every attack and every situation with acceptable willpower." (Natasha)
She looks at me as she smiles and points with her bottle, her words of acceptance showing a level of appreciation she didn't expect from someone with her history of being a battle freak.